COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) – Authorities gave updates on a statewide Amber Alert Tuesday afternoon, as only one of two babies abducted in their mother’s car in Columbus has been found.
Columbus police investigate at a Donatos Pizza where two babies were abducted in a stolen car. (NBC4 Photo/Ronald Clark)
Columbus Division of Police Chief Bryant shared a timeline of events from the abduction in a 2 p.m. press conference. Officers first got a call around 9:45 p.m. Monday at the Donatos Pizza at East 1st Avenue and North High Street. A mother had left her 5-month-old twin boys in a running car while she went into the store to pick up a delivery order. When she turned around and looked outside, her car was gone.
Bryant said during the press conference that the suspect, 24-year-old Nalah Tamiko Jackson, was a homeless woman inside the store identified by Donatos workers. Jackson left when the mother walked inside and before officers got to the scene at 9:52 p.m.
The two baby boys, Kason and Kyair Thomas, are Black with brown eyes and hair. Since the Amber Alert was issued, a CPD sergeant confirmed to NBC4 that Kyair was found at the Dayton airport, nearly an hour-and-a-half away from the Donatos where the twins disappeared. Kason was still missing as of Tuesday afternoon.
Mike Etter, Dayton Chief of Public Safety and Security Coordinator, shared more details about how Kyair was found. A traveler walking around 4:15 a.m. in the economy parking lot heard a baby crying and then found him in a car seat wrapped in a quilt. Butler Township medics checked the baby’s condition and held him while his parents arrived. Police were still canvassing the area for the other infant as of Tuesday morning.
Police faced delays in getting an Amber Alert issued for Kyair and Kason. CPD first notified the Ohio State High Patrol and other agencies about the abduction around 10:30 p.m. It then requested an Amber Alert a second time at 12:05 a.m., and the Amber Alert finally went out at 1:37 a.m. The delay stemmed from the stolen black 2010 Honda Accord’s lack of a license plate or vehicle identification number because it was newly purchased, Bryant said.
CPD has since checked at Jackson’s former addresses and three different homeless camps in the area. Court records showed Jackson previously faced charges including theft and receiving stolen property.
The boys’ father, Lechez Thomas, spoke to NBC4 Tuesday afternoon about the abduction. He asked the public for help finding his son.
“I just need to know. I need them both,” Thomas said. “Try to speak up if you know anything and make sure the information is legit. Can’t keep doing these wild goose chases. I just want to hold my son, you know? … He’s just a baby, he didn’t do nothing to nobody.”
Neither Jackson nor the stolen Honda have been found as of 2:45 p.m. Tuesday. Originally described with the front bumper ripped off with a dent on the left rear quarter panel, police said it sustained additional damage on the left side with purple paint transfer, as if the car was in an accident.
CPD also added that the Accord has a torn temporary Ohio registration tag on the rear, and a white bumper sticker on the rear that reads “Westside City Toys.” The chief said their most recent lead came at 11:15 a.m. from Huber Heights, where the area police said they may have caught video of the stolen car.
Columbus police asked anyone with information about Jackson to call its Special Victims Bureau tip line at 614-645-4266. CPD asked anyone who sees the car or the infant to call 911 immediately.
