Texas 2-year-old abducted by grandmother found near 7-Eleven after Amber Alert over 'grave danger'
BEXAR COUNTY, TEXAS: Authorities rescued a two-year-old girl in the early hours on Friday, May 1 near Waco shortly after an Amber Alert was issued for her. The toddler was allegedly abducted from her home at night by her grandmother.
Shortly after Aurora Lee Lopez went missing from her house, authorities launched an Amber Alert with officials saying that the missing toddler was in a grave and immediate danger, reports state. They described the toddler as a Hispanic with brown hair and brown eyes and weighing around 20 pounds.
The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office subsequently issued a press released on the incident, stating that the child was taken by her grandmother, identified as 49-year-old Sherry McGill, from a residence in the 8500 block of Tuxford in San Antonio at around 1am on Friday. It was believed that, after the abduction, McGill was heading to Oklahoma in a car with her granddaughter.
The Sheriff's office also posted the alert on its Facebook page, writing: "AMBER ALERT! The Bexar County Sheriff’s Office is currently searching for 2 year old Aurora Lee Lopez who was taken by her grandmother Sherry McGill, 49, earlier this morning, and fled from a residence in East Bexar County in a 2012 black Honda Accord EX bearing Texas license plates KTR 2989. It is believed that the grandmother was heading to Oklahoma with the child. If you have any information on the whereabouts of where Aurora Lee Lopez is currently located, you are urged to contact Investigators at (210)335-6000 or (210)335-6070." The authorities also posted pictures of the toddler, McGill, and a stock photo of her car.
Texas Department of Public Safety troopers, at around 8:25 am on Friday, spotted the 49-year-old's vehicle, a black 2012 Honda Accord with license plate KTR2989, which was traveling on IH-35 in McClennon County at the time. The troopers reportedly pulled over her sedan near a 7-11 store and were able to safely take custody of the toddler and the grandmother was apprehended by officials.
The Bexar County Sheriff's Office, in a statement released later in the day, said that they were working to reunite the child with her family in San Antonio. "UPDATE- CHILD FOUND SAFE Around 8:25 a.m. Texas DPS Troopers spotted the vehicle listed in the Amber Alert traveling on IH-35 in McClennan County, TX," a Facebook updated by the authorities said. "DPS Troopers conducted a traffic stop and were able to safely take custody of 2 year old Aurora Lee Lopez. BCSO and DPS are working to reunite the family with the child at this time. Thank you for sharing the original post."
Reports state that McGill was detained by the officers in relation to the incident, however, it is not yet clear whether she was arrested for the abduction of a minor.
Child abduction emergency alerts, popularly known as Amber Alerts, were first introduced in the United States in 1996 after the abduction and murder of nine-year-old Amber Hagerman in Darlington, Texas.