Missing 5-year-old found safe; child’s mother faces charges, police say

WSOCTV.com News Staff
·2 min read
1

A missing five-year-old girl last seen near Raleigh was found safe and her mother now faces charges in several jurisdictions, according to the Cary Police Department.

Amani Jada Bruce was reported missing and an Amber Alert was issued on Wednesday night, the North Carolina Department of Safety said.

Authorities were also looking for Bruce’s biological mom, 36-year-old Crystal Beatrice Walston. The two were last seen in the 100 block of Rosedown Drive in Cary, police said.

ALSO READ: Missing York County man located, deputies say

Troopers with North Carolina State Highway Patrol found the girl and her mother in the Benson area around 6:20 a.m. on Thursday, officials said.

Police said on Wednesday they believe Walston left in a stolen Ford Escape with UNC REX hospital markings on both sides, Channel 9′s sister station WTVD reported.

A stolen vehicle was later found in Sanford. Sanford Police contacted Cary police to alert them that a vehicle connected to a missing persons case had been found there.

Later, National Center for Missing & Exploited Children said the two were last seen in Sanford in a silver 2011 Lexus RX350 with a North Carolina registration of JKC-6112.

On Thursday morning, police said the pair were in the stolen Lexus at the time they were found.

ALSO READ: 11-year-old girl found after leaving east Charlotte home overnight, police confirm

“On Wednesday afternoon, a behavioral health patient stole a vehicle from UNC Health Rex Hospital in Raleigh and fled the property,” UNC’s Alan Wolf told WTVD on Wednesday. “Two hospital employees suffered minor injuries. Our hospital security team is working closely with local law enforcement. Our top priority is always the safety and well-being of our teammates and our patients.”

Authorities said the cases were initiated in Raleigh with a stolen car report.

According to police, Walston is in custody and facing charges in Raleigh, Cary and Sanford.

(WATCH BELOW: 6-year-old boy safe after vanishing from NC neighborhood; Amber Alert canceled)