3-year-old OK, mom arrested after Amber Alert becomes rescue in ‘steep’ California river canyon
A 3-year-old boy and his mother, who was suspected of abducting him, were located using GPS and an aircraft typically employed to map wildfires. They were found in a river canyon in Nevada County on Friday night, following an Amber Alert issued by Northern California authorities for a child abduction.
The California Highway Patrol and Nevada County Sheriff’s Office said the boy was allegedly taken by his mother in an unincorporated part of the county about 11:33 a.m. Authorities said that the child was abducted during an assault on North Bloomfield Road, near Grizzly Hill Road. The area is close to the South Yuba Campground, approximately six miles northwest of Nevada City.
The 30-year-old mother was accused of taking the boy and was on foot. They were last seen heading southeast toward the South Yuba River. Officials expressed concern after the mother made “self-harm statements.”
In an update at 8:45 p.m., the Sheriff’s Office announced that both were found safe down a “steep river canyon,” with the help of FIRIS — an aircraft used to map active wildfire perimeters — operated by the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.
“Suspect and child have been located alive down a steep river canyon,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a social media post. “Nevada County Sheriff’s Search & Rescue volunteers, led by Sheriff’s Office personnel, heard noises and cries for help and alerted partners of their GPS coordinates. Cal OES was able to confirm the child and suspect’s location with their FIRIS airplane.”
This marked the first time the aircraft had been used in a missing person’s case since the fixed-wing FIRIS — an acronym for Fire Integrated Real-Time Intelligence System — was brought under state control. This plane operated by OES, Cal Fire, and the CHP, after its development by the Orange County Fire Authority and funding by the Legislature under the 2019-20 state budget, according to the fire authority.
The FIRIS platform offers real-time fire perimeter mapping and hotspot detection, providing fire crews on the ground with modeling and situational awareness essential for battling wildfires. The system was deployed in the state’s first big wildfire of 2024, the Corral Fire, south of Tracy. The grass fire that sparked on the Alameda County border came under full containment Thursday afternoon after charring 14,168 acres in San Joaquin County.
“CHP responded with their helicopter and located both the subject and child by aerial observation,” deputies said. “The child was safely air-lifted out of the river canyon with no injuries. The suspect is currently being assisted out of the river canyon by ropes. She too is physically OK.”
Deputies added: “Thank you to our amazing partners, search volunteers, and the community at large for your assistance in this matter.” That included 43 volunteers from the Nevada County sheriff’s search-and-rescue team.
On Saturday morning, deputies said the mother was arrested and would face felony charges of domestic violence, child abduction and child endangerment. She was expected to be booked into jail following medical clearance.
What is an Amber Alert?
The system (the acronym stands for America’s Missing: Broadcast Emergency Response) was created by the California Legislature in 2002 to notify communities about missing children and other at-risk persons after 9-year-old Amber Hagerman was abducted and murdered in Texas in 1996. It was brought to California after a similar incident involving 5-year-old Samantha Runnion in 2002 — placing focus on the need for such a program in the state.
When the CHP celebrated 20 years of the program in 2022, officials said the system boasts a 97% success rate of locating children in danger.
This Amber Alert, the first for the Sacramento area since the disappearance and subsequent death of Kiely Rodni, happened just days before the introduction of the new Ebony Alert program on Jan. 1.
It works similarly to the Amber Alert system, which activates electronic highway signs to post information about the missing person in a coordinated effort to locate the individual. The Ebony Alert, will be used for missing Black youth ages 12-25.
Amber Alerts used to be broadcast through the National Weather Service, but the CHP has since partnered with FEMA to use their Integrated Public Alert and Warning System.
What’s the public’s role in Amber Alert?
The CHP lists the following advice on how people can help trigger and respond to the alerts.
If you witness a child abduction, call 911 immediately to report it quickly. Be sure to make note of important information such as the physical characteristics of the child and suspect, the make and model of any vehicles involved (including license plate numbers if possible), and the precise location of the abduction.
If you hear an Amber Alert, watch for the child, suspect and vehicle described in the alert. Immediately report any sightings by calling 911 or the telephone number included with the alert. (Do not call 911 to request information about the abduction.)
