Amber Alert Canceled After 6-Year-Old Girl Found Safe; Father In Custody
FLINT (WWJ) - An Amber Alert has been canceled after a 6-year-old girl who was apparently abducted by her father was located safe and sound.
Michigan State Police say Hailey Betts was recovered around 11:20 a.m. Saturday at an apartment complex in Port Huron. She had earlier been reported missing after being last seen with her father, Brett Betts, around midnight Friday at a home on Bancroft and Britton roads in Bancroft.
"There was an altercation with a family member and Betts had made threats to harm the child and harm himself, and he left," with the child, Michigan State Police Lt. David Kaiser told WWJ's Erika Murphy. Other circumstances about the girl's disappearance weren't immediately clear.
[MORE: EXCLUSIVE: Mother Of Child Involved In Amber Alert Says Daughter's Safety Is 'All That Matters']
Investigators initially said the pair was traveling in a teal 2000 Ford F-250 with Michigan license plate "7KJ C97." Police eventually located the truck in Flushing, but found no signs of Hailey or Betts.
Investigators believe someone else picked up the father and daughter, and transported them to the Port Huron area -- where they were later located.
Betts was immediately taken into custody and transported to a hospital for an evaluation. Hailey, who was unharmed, is now in custody of a relative.
Police credited the public for submitting tips, which ultimately led officers to the father and daughter.
Many people were notified about the Amber Alert around 5 a.m. Saturday via an emergency message on their smartphones.
"This is the first time in Michigan history that we have actually used the wireless emergency alert," said Kaiser. "It's something we send out when a child has been abducted. And even though it's an inconvenience for many people who get woken up with these emergency alerts, we ask that they understand that if it was their child that was taken, they would want us to take all of these steps to safely recover their child."
Kaiser added that 17 missing children have been recovered solely because of the wireless emergency alert.
Anyone with information on the case is urged to contact police at 810-732-1111, or dial 911.
