Girl missing for more than a month found, mom arrested, Richland County Sheriff says
The search for a missing South Carolina girl ended Thursday when the 10-year-old was found safe and her mother was arrested, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said.
Amirah Watson and her mother, Tynesha Brooks, were found in the home of a relative in Atlanta, Georgia, the sheriff’s department said in a news release.
Amirah was last seen on Jan. 31 in Dillon County, when her mother — a Richland County resident — picked her up for the weekend, according to the release.
The child was supposed to be brought back to her father, who has primary custody of the girl, on Feb. 2, the sheriff’s department said. That didn’t happen.
Brooks and Amirah were found at the Atlanta home around 8:30 a.m., where they were by themselves, according to the release.
Amirah is being returned to her father, who lives in North Carolina, the sheriff’s department said.
After being arrested by members of the U.S. Marshals, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division agents, and Richland County sheriff’s deputies Brooks was charged with not returning a child within 72 hours per custody order, according to the release.
Brooks will be extradited to Dillon County, where the arrest warrant was issued, the sheriff’s department said. Dillon County is about 100 miles east of Columbia.
During the search for Amirah, the sheriff’s department reached out to the popular TV show Live PD for help finding the missing girl.
Information on how Amirah and her mother were located was not available.
This is a developing story, check back for updates.
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This story was originally published March 19, 2020 at 12:52 PM with the headline "Girl missing for more than a month found, mom arrested, Richland County Sheriff says."
