AMBER Alert canceled after 3-year-old Bothell girl in stolen car found safe
3-year-old safe following AMBER Alert, police search for suspect
It was a terrifying Tuesday morning for a family in Bothell. Police say a man got into their car, left idling in the parking lot outside, and drove offwith their 3-year-old daughter still in the back. Thankfully, the girl was found safe and reunited with her family, but now officers are looking for the suspected car thief.
BOTHELL, Wash. - An AMBER Alert that was issued early Tuesday morning for a 3-year-old Bothell girl has been canceled after the child was found safe in Snohomish County.
Police were asking the public to be on the lookout for a girl who was last seen near the 9800 block of 190th Street in Bothell.
Jennifer Collins, mother of the child, her neighbor rushed to the Bothell Police Department overnight in a panic telling investigators what happened. She explained she arrived at her apartment complex in Bothell around midnight with her two daughters sleeping in the back seat. Collins said her oldest child has Autism, so she took her inside the home first while her three-year-old was sleeping in the running car.
"I carried older one up my three flights of stairs to my apartments. I laid her down on the bed. And then as I was coming to get my youngest, I heard tires squealing. I ran out there and my car was gone, and she was gone," said Collins.
"People make this mistake every single day. No parent should have to learn a lesson this way, and she is not criminal here. Everyone makes mistakes, she is not the criminal," said Cam Johnson, spokesperson for the police department.
An AMBER Alert was issued before 3 a.m. Collins spoke with FOX13 Morning News hours after the alert was issued.
"I know they got the AMBER Alert out, but there needs to be more done. For every hour she is gone, I have less of a chance of having her come home. For every minute she could be gone forever," she said. "I need her home."
After 6:30 a.m., police said the girl was found safe and was reunited with her mother.
Johnson said the car was located in a neighborhood just outside the Bothell city limits in Snohomish County.
"This is an AMBER Alert with a happy ending and there were moments overnight when that was entirely uncertain that it would end up this way," Johnson told FOX 13 News.
Later in the day, Bothell police released surveillance video of the suspect in connection with the AMBER Alert.
The video shows a person walking past the camera and the person appeared to be wearing a blue jacket, jeans, dark shoes and a mask.
The investigation remains ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to call Bothell police at 425-486-1254.
Older Honda Accord models, like Collins' car, are the fourth most popular car in America to steal, according to the National Insurance Car Bureau. The Accord has a high resale value and easy to strip for parts.
"We know there are a lot of car thieves out there who are just looking for a vehicle that is left running. It’s cold enough that you can see the smoke coming out of the tailpipe. They see a driver get out of their car and head off inside just for a minute," said Johnson.
Get breaking news alerts in the FREE FOX 13 Seattle app. Download for Apple iOS or Android. And sign up for BREAKING NEWS emails delivered straight to your inbox.
Stay connected with FOX 13 News on all platforms:
DOWNLOAD: FOX 13 News and Weather Apps
WATCH: FOX 13 News Live
SUBSCRIBE: FOX 13 on YouTube
DAILY BRIEF: Sign Up For Our Newsletter
FOLLOW: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram