Officials: Missing Tennessee boy found safe in California
The 3-year-old Tennessee boy at the center of an Amber Alert, has been found safe near San Clemente, California, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reported around 11:30 a.m. Thursday. The boy's 16-year-old cousin was also found safe.
TBI reported a relative of the boy, 35-year-old Jacob Clare, is in custody.
How the case unfolded
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an Amber Alert for the boy, who is from Gallatin, Tennessee, on Nov. 16.
The 3-year-old was reported missing by his mother on Nov. 7, according to TBI.
The TBI initially issued an endangered child alert, but upgraded it to an Amber Alert on Nov. 16.
Clare faces charges of especially aggravated kidnapping.
The TBI reported the boy and Clare were traveling in a silver Subaru Outback, which authorities believe Clare purchased a week before the boy was reported missing.
License plate readers in Arizona show the car traveling through the state, according to the TBI. The vehicle had been loaded up with clothing, camping gear and other items.
The car was found in San Clemente on Nov. 13.
On Nov. 17, the TBI released surveillance photos believed to show the boy and Jacob Clare together, accompanied by a person they believe to be boy's 16-year-old cousin. The teen was previously reported missing by the Beaver Dam Police Department in Ohio County, Kentucky.
The photos were taken on Nov. 11 in San Clemente, according to the TBI.
Natalie Neysa Alund is based in Nashville at The Tennessean and covers breaking news across the South for the USA TODAY Network. Reach her at nalund@tennessean.com and follow her on Twitter @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Missing TN boy found safe in California, father in custody
