NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — The top cop in Newport News spoke with 13News Now about the hourslong AMBER Alert issued Saturday for a 9-year-old girl.
Brielle Silver has been found safe, and Chief Steve Drew said his department spent Sunday working to reunite her with family.
Sheriff's deputies in Georgia overnight spotted the child and her mother who does not have custody. 38-year-old Bethany Gould is now charged with abduction.
Drew shared his relief and gratitude over the outcome of this AMBER Alert. He credited the teamwork of his police officers, multiple agencies and partners, the community, as well as technology.
"Technology played a huge role, but knowing how to operate that technology and the investments we made, the individuals we sent to training for some of the technology we have," said Drew. "But at the end of the day, I will tell you, all of that human drive, people coming off from being with their own families and coming in to reunite that beautiful little girl with her family, that was key."
With Brielle found safe and unharmed, Gould still sits behind bars in Georgia as of Sunday evening.
In a news release, Newport News police said Brielle's father reported to officers that Gould picked their daughter up from a Jefferson Avenue dance studio around 10 a.m. Saturday. She does not have custody of the child, investigators said.
Newport News police issued a missing person report around noon Saturday.
"People that came in. They did not go home until they found her," said Drew.
Virginia State Police (VSP) activated an AMBER Alert later that day around 6 p.m.
Some people in the community have raised concerns about the speed of which the AMBER Alert was disseminated.
However, from his perspective, Drew said he had no complaints, explaining the investigative process which also had to unfold.
The police chief mentioned that local law enforcement have to meet criteria, as laid out by VSP.
"It's more than someone who's missing, there has to be an immediate danger. We have to be able articulate that," he said. "We checked addresses here in the local 757 area. We did those things first, some of the surrounding jurisdictions there may have been ties to, some last times seen, some statements that may have been made. Those things ought to be put together first, and it has to be a package."
Some hours later, Chief Drew told 13News Now sheriff's deputies in Columbia County outside of Augusta, Georgia, made the traffic stop late Saturday or early Sunday, leading them to Gould and Brielle.
"A lot of us are tired today. A lot of phone calls in the middle of the night, but the best one was, 'Hey Chief, we have them and she's safe.' Just thankful to God it all worked out," said Drew.
He added that members of the community who called to report anything they knew are "unsung heroes."
"From the bottom of my heart, thank you. And from her family, I want to thank you," Drew said.
Gould faces a felony abduction charge. Officers initially ordered a misdemeanor abduction charge, but later upgraded it because Gould is accused of crossing state lines while kidnapping Brielle.
Newport News police are working with authorities in Columbia County, Georgia to bring Gould back to Virginia.
