Amber Alert Called Off After 3-Year-Old Girl Abducted From North Carolina Is Found Safe

A 3-year-old North Carolina girl who was the subject of an Amber Alert on Wednesday was feared abducted after her mother was found dead. But the child, who was taken away by her father, has been found safe, authorities said.

The North Carolina Department of Public Safety had issued an Amber Alert for Riley Harper Bockes after her mother, Deanna Bockes, was found murdered at her home in Sanford, ABC11 reported. Riley's father, Brent James Bockes was charged with the murder.

In the Amber Alert, Riley was described as a 3-year-old white female with blonde hair and blue eyes. The abductor, her father, was identified as a 50-year-old male, The Rant reported citing the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.

Brent was described as a 6-foot tall man with brown hair and blue eyes, a large scar on his left wrist, a tattoo across his stomach, and a tattoo on his upper right arm.

Sanford Police told ABC11 that deputies with the Rutherford County Sheriff's Office in Tennessee located the stolen car the duo was believed to be traveling in. The car was involved in a crash on Interstate 24 in Murfreesboro and the man had fled the scene with the child.

Riley was found unharmed and with Brent at the Select Inn Motel on S. Church Street in Murfreesboro at around 9:00 p.m. ET Wednesday.

Brent was charged with first-degree murder, robbery, and larceny of a motor vehicle in connection with the murder of Riley's mother, WRAL-TV reported. Officers said Deana and Brent were married.

Deanna's death is being investigated as a homicide. The official cause of her death is pending an autopsy report.

In July 2021, an Amber Alert issued for an 11-year-old California boy was canceled after he was found safe with his father, who allegedly was his abductor. The boy’s father, Walter Lara, 38, was "armed and dangerous," after he stabbed his mother in a parking lot and kidnapped him. The woman was critical after the attack but was later said to be out of danger. Deputies located the vehicle in which the boy and his father had been traveling but they were nowhere to be found. The child was found safe shortly after by deputies. The motive behind the abduction and the stabbing were being investigated.