VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A 3-year-old reported missing from Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, and last seen in Virginia Beach has been returned to her custodial parent, police said.
Tianna Daniels, the mother of the child, Samalea Daniels, was taken into custody Wednesday at the Mecklenburg County Courthouse for an outstanding warrant, the Virginia Beach Police Department said on Monday.
It comes after Samalea's father and legal guardian, Jalen Davis, reported his daughter missing from Mecklenburg County on June 20. He believed that she was taken by Tianna Daniels and brought to Virginia Beach.
Davis said he went to work on the night Tianna visited and she told him she was taking Samalea out for ice cream. He didn't think much of it until he returned home to find her car gone and Samalea not in the house.
Police said the mother and child were last seen at a family member's home on Stonnington Court in Virginia Beach on July 14.
Davis filed an emergency order in Virginia Beach to get Tianna to give Samalea back to him. A Virginia Beach judge signed the order, describing Samalea as an "endangered" missing child. Virginia State Police (VSP) activated a Missing Person Alert.
Over the weekend of July 22, Virginia Beach police officers said they found Daniels' car in the city but would not say exactly where it was located.
In a statement to 13News Now on Monday, the little girl's father said, "I didn't want any of this. But I'm very happy she is back and she's been getting spoiled every day! So we are good!"