Missing Salinas girl found safe, Amber Alert deactivated
SALINAS, Calif. (BCN) - A 3-year-old girl who was briefly abducted in Salinas early Thursday morning, prompting an Amber Alert, was found safe roughly 4 miles away, police said.
The Amber Alert was issued for Jacky Valenzuela, who was reported abducted from Salinas around 5:45 a.m., according to the California Highway Patrol.
Jacky's mother placed the child inside a gold Honda Odyssey and left the engine running to warm up the car while she went back into their home in the 600 block of Countryside Drive to bring out the girl's twin sister, police said.
Her mother stepped back outside to find someone had stolen the vehicle with Jacky inside, according to police.
Law enforcement officers from around Monterey County responded to search for the vehicle. The FBI and state Department of Justice were also notified of the missing girl, according to police.
Around 8 a.m., a resident at an apartment complex in the 900 block of Heather Circle saw a car similar to the one described in the Amber Alert, police said.
The resident told an apartment maintenance worker, who drove around the complex and found the vehicle with Jacky inside, according to police.
The girl was unharmed and was reunited with her family, police said.
Officers are processing the van for evidence and are searching for the suspect in the area, including doing a door-to-door canvass for any witnesses, police said.