Baby girl abducted in Fort Worth area found safe after Amber Alert, sheriff’s office says
A baby girl was found safe early Friday morning after an unknown person stole the car she was in south of Fort Worth and authorities launched an Amber Alert, according to the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office.
The alert for Ayalah Bratcher, 11 months old, went out around 11:30 p.m. Thursday. Around 8:30 p.m., an unknown individual had stolen a red Honda with Bratcher inside of it from a Dollar General in the 5700 block of FM 1187, south of Fort Worth near Rendon, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.
Several agencies from throughout Tarrant County reportedly worked to find the girl, sharing information with the public through the Amber Alert and social media.
Law enforcement eventually found Bratcher in the abandoned car around 1 a.m. Friday in the 8200 block of CR 107 in Johnson County, the sheriff’s office said.
Lt. Jennifer Gabbert, a sheriff’s office spokesperson, said in the release, “We are so glad Ayalah was found.” And she thanked all those who helped, including law enforcement and community members.
“You all made a difference in searching for and getting the word out about this missing child,” Gabbert said. “Our social media posts alone were shared nearly 4,000 times.”
Bratcher appeared unharmed, the sheriff’s office said, but was taken to Cook Children’s Medical Center for evaluation.
WFAA-TV, a Star-Telegram media partner, reported a woman had spotted a car parked in an odd way before she recognized it from the Amber Alert. She then called the sheriff’s office, according to the news station.
Eight different sheriff’s office patrols responded to the abduction, according to the release. That’s in addition to the eight agencies that assisted, including Fort Worth police, Burleson police, Mansfield police, Everman police, Crowley police, Benbrook police, Hurst police, the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office and the Grandview Fire Department.
This story was originally published May 22, 2020 at 7:15 AM.