A 7-year-old girl never came home from a weekend visit with her grandmother, and now New Orleans police are searching for the woman after she told officers she left the child with a friend but refused to say who or where. The New Orleans Police Department has obtained an arrest warrant for 57-year-old Giselle Grant on one count of simple kidnapping in connection with the disappearance of her granddaughter, Halo Grant.
According to WDSU, Giselle Grant had been watching Halo in the 1000 block of Deslonde Street when the child was not returned after her weekend stay. Halo's father reported her missing, prompting the investigation that led to the warrant. When investigators reached Grant by phone, she said she was out of town and had left Halo with an unnamed friend, but she would not tell officers where the child could be found, according to a report from WWL-TV.
Where the Search Stands
The Deslonde Street address sits within NOPD's Fifth District, which covers the Lower Ninth Ward and Bywater neighborhoods and is home to the detectives now leading the search, per the City of New Orleans. Halo Grant is described as a Black female standing approximately 3 feet 10 inches tall and weighing 45 pounds. NOPD has asked anyone with information on her whereabouts or Giselle Grant's location to call 504-658-6050.
Anonymous tips can also go through Crimestoppers of Greater New Orleans, which takes reports at 504-822-1111, through a toll-free line at 1-877-903-STOP, or online. Louisiana's simple kidnapping statute, La. R.S. 14:45, covers the intentional taking of a child under 14 without legal consent for an unlawful purpose, and carries a maximum penalty of five years imprisonment and a $5,000 fine, according to Justia Law.
Why This Wasn't an AMBER Alert
Cases like this one often don't trigger a full statewide AMBER Alert because Louisiana State Police reserve that system for situations with immediate proof of threat to life or serious bodily harm. Instead, the state maintains a Level II Endangered Missing Child Advisory for cases such as a child taken by a non-custodial family member without that immediate danger showing, according to Louisiana State Police. Earlier this summer, the state also enacted Bryan's Call, or Act 347, which expanded law enforcement training and notification criteria within that Level II advisory system, per Louisiana State Police.
National data suggests these cases usually end with the child found safe. Family abductions made up only 4.1% of missing child cases reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in 2023, yet accounted for 59% of AMBER Alerts issued that year nationwide, the organization reports. Separate tracking data cited by NCMEC indicates that about 99% of children abducted in family disputes are recovered alive, with nearly 75% located within 24 hours of being reported missing.
Local Precedent for Family Kidnapping Cases
NOPD has handled similar cases before. Last year, the department sought a suspect on Citrus Drive after a child was taken by an acquaintance and not returned, resulting in a similar simple kidnapping warrant. And in October 2025, NOPD and Louisiana State Police safely recovered a 10-month-old infant in Orleans Parish after a rapid AMBER Alert and multi-agency search following a non-custodial family abduction on Washington Avenue.
It remains unclear who the unnamed friend is that Giselle Grant claims is currently caring for Halo, or why she has declined to share that information with investigators. Fifth District detectives continue to lead the search and are asking the public to come forward with any information that could help bring Halo home.
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