Harrowing kidnap of infant twins capped by joyous reunion, gifts of thanks

The reunion of twin 5-month-olds kidnapped last week by a stranger in the Short North has all the hallmarks of a scripted Christmas drama.

Kason Thomas, found Thursday 175 miles away inside his mother's stolen 2010 Honda Accord in a Papa John's pizza lot by Indianapolis Metropolitan Police officers, is a priceless, real-life gift to his family and twin brother Kyair who was recovered earlier.

With parallels to the Christmas story, one that likely will be shared in church sermons, strangers came from afar Christmas Eve, bearing gifts and giving thanks at All Nations Worship Assembly Columbus, 175 Fairway Blvd., on the city's East Side.

Thomas twins kidnaping timeline: The search for missing Columbus baby Kason Thomas

They brought diapers, clothes and toys — but mostly thanks for the dogged efforts of police, volunteers and family that wouldn't give up.

"The city came together, collectively, and prayed," said All Nations Pastor Julius Lancaster, looking at a table where bags and boxes were placed. "This is an answered prayer.

"It's demonstrating that we, in the midst of chaos, still have the ability to come together to get things done."

Some are calling the twins "the nephews of Columbus," with the community "personally attached" to their well-being, said Kara Beauford, who, along with friend Brandis Mason, organized the gift drop-off.

"It was just in our hearts. It was coming from a place of being a parent," said Mason, the mother of a 9- and 3-year-olds, "to make sure they're being provided for."

The donations came mostly from mothers, those shaken by the unthinkable, random abduction by a stranger, the rare exception to what typically are family or acquaintance disputes over custody.

Pam Ratvasky, of Westerville, awoke to an Amber alert at 1:30 a.m. Wednesday. The mother of a 17-year-old was struck by reports that the twins' mother was picking up food for a DoorDash delivery when her car and children were taken.

"The struggle that those parents are facing with those little kids. I was heart-broken," Ratvasky said after dropping off diapers and wipes.

"I have not stopped thinking about the boys all week," said Jenny, a Gahanna mother of a 3-year-old who declined to give her full name. "I just wanted to find anything I could scrape up, to give them something. I just can't process what this family has been through."

Police accuse Nalah T. Jackson, 24, who faces charges of kidnapping and other crimes, of leaving Kason's twin brother, Kyair Thomas, in his car seat with a quilt wrapped around him in a parking lot at Dayton International Airport, where a passerby found him two vehicles about 4:15 a.m. Tuesday. Kyair's recovery was punctuated late Thursday when the family and search party members got the Christmas miracle news.

Kason, still wearing the same brown onesie he had on when he was last seen Monday night, was taken to Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis to be checked out as a precaution.

Minutes before the good news, family members were begging for anyone with information about the infant's location to come forward. Police accuse Jackson of stealing a running car from a Donatos Pizza in the Short North with the twins inside around 9:45 p.m. Monday.

Indianapolis police arrested Jackson on Thursday, but Kason was not with her.

How Kason Thomas was found

Authorities said officers were eating at a nearby restaurant Thursday evening when a woman ran in to report there was a baby left alone in a car in the Papa John's parking lot at 955 Indiana Ave., near 10th Street. Police determined the missing car had been parked in the Papa John’s parking lot for about two days.

Back in the Columbus area, family and friends of the Thomas twins were now celebrating with hot chocolate from a nearby McDonald's.

The twins' paternal grandmother, Fonda Thomas, told The Dispatch she was elated Kason had been found alive after three days of searching.

"My tears have turned to joy," she said.

Nearly three days after the kidnapping, Kason was expected to be reunited Thursday night with his family — his father Lachez Thomas immediately drove off and was bound for Indianapolis after getting word his son was found.

"This means everything," Fonda Thomas said. "My grandsons get to open up they presents simultaneously. Not one alone, wishing that the other one was there. I'm so happy. I'm so grateful."

It was unclear Saturday when Kason would arrive home after being taken to an Indianapolis hospital for observation. The near-zero freeze and hazardous roads made driving treacherous.

More on the Columbus twins' kidnaping: What we know about Columbus missing twins suspect Nalah T. Jackson and her Dayton ties

The twins' grandmother said the family has been frustrated and fearful, especially following news earlier in the night that Kason was not found with Jackson when police arrested her earlier Thursday.

Kidnapping suspect Nalah T. Jackson arrested in Indiana

Columbus police Deputy Chief Smith Weir reported at a late Thursday afternoon news conference that police received more than 3,000 tips about the kidnapped twins.

Jackson was charged Tuesday with two counts of kidnapping and likely faces additional charges, including child endangerment and vehicle theft.

Jackson's arrest was the result of tips Columbus police received and police urging a tipster to call 911 in Indianapolis. Police there stopped Jackson and took her into custody. Fingerprints confirmed Jackson's identity.

Columbus police had searched for Kason in Columbus, the Dayton area and Indianapolis.

In a Christmas Eve email to The Dispatch, Weir said officers told him "nothing motivates a cop like a child in trouble. We certainly saw that this week with law enforcement officers all over the city, state and the region coming together to search for the Thomas's babies.

"We celebrate that the twins are reunited with their loved ones. Our wish is that this leads us into a safe and peaceful holiday season and new year."

Where is missing twin Kason Thomas?

When Kason's whereabouts were uncertain earlier Thursday, many worried as a winter storm was moving into Indiana en route to Ohio late Thursday night into Friday morning. The weather in Indianapolis dropped from the 40s in the afternoon to 13 degrees with snow falling and icy conditions, according to the National Weather Service.

Three Columbus police detectives were en route to Indianapolis to join the questioning of Jackson, Weir said. They are part of a team of detectives — 12 in total — that searched for Kason in Dayton, where his twin brother, Kyair, was found early Tuesday.

Nalah Jackson's history of child endangerment

Over the past two months, Jackson made three visits to Riverside, a suburb of Dayton, in an attempt to contact her two daughters, according to reports from the Riverside Police Department. The latest visit occurred Dec. 15.

Dominic Davies, Jackson's ex-boyfriend and the father of her daughters, told Riverside police he has full custody of the girls because of Jackson's drug abuse and mental illness.

In an interview with The Dispatch on Thursday, Davies said Jackson is "like a different person" now than the woman he met and had a relationship with from 2017 to 2019.

She had previous run-ins with law enforcement on child endangerment charges and allegations, Franklin County Municipal Court records show.

In June 2021 Jackson pleaded guilty to child endangerment charges after her 11-month-old daughter fell down an apartment staircase, according to court records. She refused to open the door for emergency medical personnel and the door had to be broken to render aid. She was given a short jail sentence and was placed on probation until 2023.

More on suspect Nalah Jackson: Ex-boyfriend of suspect in Columbus infant abduction: 'She's like a different person'

Months later, in September 2021, Jackson was accused of attempting to abduct her own children from the National Youth Advocacy Center, a protective services agency, which held emergency custody over her children, Columbus police reported.

Davies reported he filed police reports each time after his ex-girlfriend came to his home in Riverside —demanding to see their 4-year-old and 2-year-old daughters. In one instance, when the girls were at his mother's house in November and he had refused to let see them, Davies told police Jackson punched the side of his face multiple times.

He had even obtained a protection order against Jackson.

dnarciso@dispatch.com

@DeanNarciso

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Outpouring of gifts and gratitude for the return of kidnapped twins