Authorities are appealing for sightings of a two-year-old Michigan girl who was allegedly abducted by her mother’s ex-boyfriend.
An Amber Alert remains active for Wynter Smith more than 24 hours after the suspect accused of kidnapping her, Rashad Trice, 26, was taken into custody by police in St Clair Shores.
Mr Trice allegedly stabbed Wynter’s 22-year-old mother and threatened to hurt the toddler after showing up at their home in Lansing on Sunday night, the Lansing Police Department said in a statement.
The mother escaped the house to call 911 before returning to find her daughter and car missing, police said. She is in a stable condition in hospital, according to authorities.
Officers found Wynter’s one-year-old brother unharmed in the apartment.
A huge search effort involving multiple law enforcement agencies and the FBI continued late into Monday night. Police dive teams combed waterways near Wynter’s Lansing home, drones hovered in the sky and deputies conducted door-to-door searches.
Family members including Wynter’s father Ajay Smith, a football player at the University of Tennessee, were joining the police search.
Wynter Cole Smith, 2, is still missing more than 24 hours after she was allegedly abducted by her mother’s ex-partner Rashad Trice— (Lansing Police Department)
Mr Smith told ABC affiliate WXYZ he hadn’t been able to sleep since hearing his daughter was missing.
“Wynter is an amazing daughter. She’s smart, she can count all the way to 40, she can say her ABCs, she can say some of them backwards,” he said.
On Monday, Lansing PD released a map of the route they believed Mr Trice had taken with Wynter in her mother’s stolen white 2013 Chevrolet Impala between 11.15pm and 1am on the night she disappeared.
Police in Lansing, Michigan, have issued an Amber Alert for Wynter Smith, 2.— (Lansing Police Department)
The department moved to dispel false rumours that Wynter had been found safe.
“We are actively looking for Wynter. Please do not spread misinformation and rely on the Lansing Police Department page or any information directly from the FBI,” police said.
After an Amber Alert was issued, St Clair Police said they saw the missing Impala at around 4.45am on Monday morning, about 100 miles south of Lansing.
When they tried to stop the vehicle, Mr Trice allegedly sped off before crashing into a patrol car.
Police arrested Rashad Maleek Trice in connection with the kidnapping of missing toddler Wynter Smith— (Lansing Police Department)
An officer who was in the car was treated for injuries before being discharged from hospital.
Mr Trice resisted arrest and was treated in hospital for unspecified injuries, police said.
In a statement, the FBI’s Detroit office said it was providing investigative, intelligence, technical, and forensic resources across Michigan to support the search.
It warned that anyone helping to hide the missing toddler could face serious charges.
Wynter is described as having braided shoulder-length hair and was last seen wearing a white t-shirt with rainbows.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Lansing Police Department at 517-483-4600, Crime Stoppers at 517-483-7867, or the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
