Amber Alert: Six-week-old Ohio boy Cannon Tatum kidnapped in Cleveland by family friend
CLEVELAND, OHIO: Police are actively looking for a suspect who allegedly abducted a six-week-old baby from Cleveland and maybe traveling to Youngstown.
The city of Cleveland issued an Amber Alert early Wednesday morning, August 18, for little Cannon Tatum, described as a White male infant with gray eyes and black hair weighing 14 pounds. According to police, Cannon is 21 inches tall and was last seen wearing a onesie with teddy bears on Tuesday, August 18.
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Cannon's mother Champell Tatum told police that he was taken by a family friend who stole her vehicle with the child in the backseat around 11 pm on Tuesday. The child and the suspect were last spotted in the area of West 85th and Madison in Cleveland, WPXI reported.
The suspect was identified by authorities as TaShanee Dumas, 23. Police reports described her as a 5’2″ Black female weighing 210 pounds. Dumas is said to be driving a black 2006 Chevy Impala with temporary Ohio tag number M388569. The car reportedly has damage on its side, and the suspect is said to live on Everrett Avenue in Youngstown. Police said she could be in the area and maybe intoxicated.
The City of Cleveland has issued an AMBER Alert for an abducted 6-week-old male Cannon Tatum. Cannon is a white male, 21”, 14 lbs, with black hair, and gray eyes pic.twitter.com/GOYsP3fMbw
— Northeast Ohio AMBER (@NEOAMBERAlert) August 18, 2021
Champell Tatum told police that Dumas physically assaulted her as they were embroiled in an argument before taking off in her car. If you or anyone you know has seen the child or the suspect, you are urged to call 911 or call the Youngstown Police Department. You can also call the Cleveland Police Department at 216-623-5200.
What is an Amber Alert?
AMBER alerts are used by law enforcement to notify the public about missing children thought to have been kidnapped. AMBER Alerts are only used for the most serious child-abduction cases when authorities believe a child is in danger of serious bodily injury or death. The goal of AMBER Alerts is to add millions of extra eyes and ears to watch, listen and help in the safe return of the child and apprehension of the abductor.
By the end of 2001, only four states had statewide AMBER Alert emergency preparedness plans. In 2002, the White House convened a conference on missing, exploited, and runaway children. It was at this point the AMBER Alert emergency management program came into national focus. On April 30, 2003, then-President George W Bush signed the PROTECT Act into law, which provided the emergency preparedness and response tools necessary to create a national AMBER Alert program. With this support, Hawaii became the 50th state to complete its statewide AMBER Alert emergency preparedness plan in February 2005. The AMBER Alert system is specifically responsible for the rescue of over 900 children.
If you see a child, adult, or vehicle fitting an AMBER Alert description, immediately call the telephone number given in the AMBER Alert and provide authorities with as much information as possible. If you believe a child is missing, you should contact local law enforcement immediately, then call the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST (1-800-843-5678). More information about available resources can be found at missingkids.org/MissingChild.