Update: 8-month-old girl found after Amber Alert, and Broward birth parents arrested

The birth parents of an 8-month-old girl subject of a now-canceled Florida Amber Alert were arrested Wednesday after police officers and a SWAT team retrieved her safely from a home in Broward County.

Arys Maria Martinez, 32, is charged with kidnapping a minor and Jacob Alexander Howard, 34, with interfering with the custody of a child. Their parental rights were terminated before the alert was issued earlier that day, according to authorities.

Amelia Martinez’s grandmother dropped her off at Little Hands On Learning Academy, 4961 SW 148th Ave., in Davie around 11 a.m. Tuesday, according to the Davie Police Department.

But around 1:40 p.m., Howard picked her up from the day care and could have given the baby to Martinez, police said.

Authorities had issued an Amber Alert on Wednesday morning, canceling it hours later after Amelia was located.

“The child is safe,” the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said in a Facebook post.

In a post on X, Pembroke Pines police said its SWAT team assisted in “retrieving” Amelia from a residence within the agency’s jurisdiction near Northwest 215th Avenue and Northwest 8th Court.

According to police, Amelia is in the custody of ChildNet, a nonprofit hired by the Florida Department of Children & Families to manage child protection systems in Broward and Palm Beach counties.

Martinez and Howard remained behind bars at Broward’s Main Jail as of Thursday morning pending their bond hearings.