Amber Alert has happy ending

The second-ever Amber Alert issued in Atlanta was toned out to public cell phones on Tuesday, September 1, at 7:19 p.m. in response to a missing children’s report issued by the mother of Alex Arwood, 11, and one-year-old Tru Speratos. The Atlanta Police Department requested the Amber Alert immediately after receiving the call around noon on Tuesday.

The children, along with their aunt, Christine Nikole Rich, 33, went missing about 4:00 p.m. Monday, August 31. Rich was driving a gold 2007 Honda Odyssey with Texas license plate MBD-2390.

According to Police Chief Robin Betts, Rich had developed a routine of taking the children for a ride each afternoon to help the younger of the two girls fall asleep for a nap.

She normally is back within an hour or so. However, Monday she did not return.

In a press briefing held at 10 p.m. Tuesday, September 1, at the police department, Betts said they had checked her cell phone and bank account and had found no activity on either. That changed shortly after the press briefing, when they were finally able to ping the aunt’s cell phone.

“At about 1:30 a.m. Wednesday we found the aunt and the girls walking on a dirt road off FM2328, not far from Highway 59S, out where the old Howe Minnow Farm used to be,” said Betts. “She stated her van had run out of gas and so she had started walking back up the dirt road. She had taken the top off a rolling ice chest and put the baby in there to pull her when she got tired of carrying her.”

Both children were in relatively good condition, aside from being hungry and tired.

Betts commented that the 11-year old was “very talkative” and relayed a full accounting of the 33-hour adventure.

The van was not found. Both children were reunit ed with their mother by 4:30 a.m.

Rich was taken into custody and charged with two counts of kidnapping and two counts of child endangerment. It was discovered that she was recently released from a Tennessee penitentiary where she spent 15 months for forgery.

This fact, coupled with the missing van, led to the incarceration of the aunt.

“Until we find the van and her story is corroborated, we don’t know for sure what really happened,” said Betts.

“We’ll get in the sky on a clear day and look some more. If it’s out there we’ll find it.”