Amber Alert canceled: Baby girl kidnapped in Fort Worth is found safe; father arrested
After an almost 15-hour search, Fort Worth police safely located a missing 11-month-old girl who was kidnapped by her non-custodial father after he assaulted her mother on Thursday night, according to police. The Amber Alert was canceled, and the suspect was in custody after the man and child were found in Edgewood, New Mexico, police said Friday afternoon.
The baby, Harmony Rodriguez, was taken from her mother’s apartment in the 13500 block of Little River Road in north Fort Worth around 9:30 p.m. Thursday, police said.
“I’m thrilled to announce that I was just notified by our Major Case Unit that Harmony Rodriguez has been located safely and she will be reunited shortly with her mother,” Fort Worth Police Chief Neil Noakes said in a video statement shortly before 12:30 p.m.
Earlier Friday, police said they believed Harmony was with her non-custodial father, Lancelot Dawkins, 26, who was driving a white Jeep Wrangler. Police said there was reason to believe they might have left the state.
After learning Dawkins was in Edgewood, Fort Worth Major Case investigators contacted the Edgewood Police Department and provided them with the suspected location. Police in the New Mexico city found Dawkins during a traffic stop.
Edgewood Police Chief Darrell Sanchez said in a news release his department used the location of his phone to find Dawkins, searching the area where his phone was last pinged. Officers found him leaving a gas station and initiated the traffic stop.
Dawkins tried to cover up Harmony during the traffic stop and provided police with false information about his identity when asked, according to the release. When police confirmed that the man was Dawkins and the child was Harmony, they placed him under arrest and sent the 11-month-old to the Children, Youth and Family Division and notified Fort Worth police.
Dawkins was arrested on a probation violation warrant in relation to a previous domestic violence case, according to a news release from Fort Worth police. Edgewood police said he was being held at the Santa Fe County Detention Center.
Fort Worth police said Dawkins will be extradited from New Mexico to Tarrant County. Edgewood is about 30 miles east of Albuquerque and 600 miles west of Fort Worth.
Police said the baby was believed to be in danger and that her father has a history of domestic violence. On the same day as the kidnapping, Dawkins was released on bond from the Tarrant County Jail on a prior domestic violence charge, Noakes said at a news conference about 11:30 a.m. Friday.
Harmony’s mother called 911 and reported that Dawkins, who is her ex-boyfriend, choked her until she was unconscious and drove away with her daughter, Noakes said. Dawkins also was accused of strangling the child’s mother in the recent previous domestic violence case, the chief said.
When Dawkins arrived at the mother’s apartment Thursday night, he put his hand over the peephole on her door and said he was a police officer, Noakes said. When the mother opened the door, the suspect forced his way in, according to police.
“That’s the kind of person we believe we’re dealing with,” Noakes said.
The mother is expected to recover from her injuries.
Noakes expressed frustration over the suspect abducting a child after he just bonded out of jail.
“One of the most frustrating things I believe for all law enforcement and all police officers is repeat offenders — those who are allowed to be released to offend again,” the chief said. “Our criminal justice system is set up in such a way where that, unfortunately, is a reality for us. What I want the Fort Worth community to know is even if that happens, we’re doing everything we can to protect them.”
“We’re asking for the public to look at these pictures,” Noakes said Friday before the child was found. “Look at this beautiful, 11-month-old baby girl, completely innocent, who was drawn into something she had nothing to do with. We’re asking for your help in locating her and bringing Harmony Rodriguez home safely. This is priority number one for the Fort Worth PD right now.”
Dawkins was released from the Tarrant County Jail on Thursday after posting a $3,500 bond and is believed to have gone straight to his ex-girlfriend’s home, according to a news release from the Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney’s Office.
This came after Dawkins previously bonded out of jail in January on the charge of assaulting a family member by impeding breath or circulation, the release said. He was arrested on that charge after being accused of choking Harmony’s mother in December, according to court records.
Tarrant County Magistrate Brooke Panuthos set the January bond at $3,500.
After he was released from jail in January, Dawkins apparently fled Texas and was believed to be headed to Nevada, according to the district attorney’s office. His bondsman filed paperwork Jan. 28 saying Dawkins could not be contacted and asked that his bond be held insufficient. An arrest warrant was issued on Jan. 31.
Dawkins was booked into the Tarrant County Jail on Wednesday, and another judge released him from jail again within 24 hours, the District Attorney’s Office said. District Court Judge Chris Wolfe set Dawkins’ bond at $3,500 again, the same amount it was in January before the warrant was filed for violating his bond conditions by fleeing, the release said.
“Judges and magistrates have access to risk assessments, lethality assessments, and criminal history when setting bonds,” the District Attorney’s Office said in the release. “Dawkins has violent criminal histories — including various family violence related crimes — in five states.”
“Judges set bonds,” Tarrant County Criminal District Attorney Sharen Wilson said in the release. “That is why judges have assessments and criminal histories available to them.”
Dawkins, following his arrest, faces “numerous charges from the Fort Worth Police Department for his actions,” Noakes said.
Police said they will work closely with the District Attorney’s Office in filing additional charges related to the abduction.
Staff writer James Hartley contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 25, 2022 at 6:11 AM.
