NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — A nine-year-old girl reported missing in an Amber Alert has been found safe and unharmed, according to police.
Newport News police said early Sunday morning, Brielle Silver was located in Georgia and will be reunited with her family.
The child's father reported her missing Saturday morning, after police said she was kidnapped by her mother who does not have custody.
Police charged Bethany Gould, 38, with misdemeanor abduction and issued an emergency protection order against her. She will be extradited to Virginia.
At around noon, Newport News Police Department sent out a release asking the public to be on the lookout for Brielle.
Newport News investigators said Brielle's father reported to officers that Gould picked their daughter up from Academy of Dance & Gymnastics around 10 a.m. Saturday. The business is on Jefferson Avenue near Richneck Road.
The two were believed to be traveling in a gray 2005 Mercury Mariner with Tennessee plates 978BJSC. Initially, police reported the SUV had Alabama plates, but they later updated the information.
Saturday after 6 p.m., local police announced charges of misdemeanor abduction and an emergency protective order against Gould. Around that same time, Virginia State Police and the Virginia Missing Children Clearinghouse issued an AMBER Alert.
Moreover, there are some people in the community raising concerns about why it took more than six hours to issue an AMBER Alert.
A Newport News police spokesman told 13News Now the department has to coordinate with Virginia State Police to make sure criteria is met. "That’s why we sent out our release when we did [...] while the other process was unfolding," he said.
13News Now also reached a Virginia State Police spokeswoman who said, in part, "we issue it once we receive the request and obtain all the required information/photographs for an Alert."
There are five criteria required for an AMBER Alert to be activated, according to Virginia State Police. If all of the requirements are not met, the alert plan will not be activated:
- The abducted child must be 17 years of age or younger or currently enrolled in a secondary school in the Commonwealth, regardless of age, and the reporting law enforcement agency believes the child has been abducted.
- The law enforcement agency believes the missing child is in imminent danger of serious bodily harm or death.
- A law enforcement investigation has taken place that verified the abduction or eliminated alternative explanations.
- Sufficient information is available to disseminate to the public that could assist in locating the child, suspect, and/or the suspect’s vehicle.
- The child must be entered into the Virginia Criminal Information Network (VCIN) and the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) missing person files as soon as practical.
