AVONDALE, AZ — Authorities say a young child who was the subject of an Amber Alert has been found safe and in good health, and the suspect, Marina Noriega, is now in custody.
The 2-year-old child was reported missing from her family's home on Saturday and was believed to have been taken by Noriega.
Officials originally stated that the child was 3 years old, but have since updated the information to say that the child is 2 years old.
Police say during the investigation, officials located surveillance video and received a tip from a citizen who reported picking up a woman with a child in a stroller from an Avondale park before taking the pair to the city of Maricopa. According to the citizen, the woman said she planned to take a train to California.
Later reports came in about a woman matching the description at a QuikTrip station near 27th Avenue and Thomas Road on Sunday morning. Noriega was detained at the scene, and the child was safely recovered.
According to police documents, the child “told her parents that she was scared and wanted her mommy and daddy, but she was okay.”
Police documents also show that Noriega was a “random woman who family members brought to the residence to help as she was a transient and needed a place to stay.”
During a police interview, Noriega initially claimed the child was her biological child. Police say she provided inconsistent statements and admitted to drug use “during the time she had control of the child.”
Police say she has prior arrests for robbery, theft, hit-and-run, threats, battery, order of protection violations, and more. She was previously convicted for controlled substance possession, shoplifting, obstructing an officer, and threatening crime with the intent to terrorize.
Moving company employees play key role in recovering child
Employees of Camelback Moving played a critical role Sunday morning in the safe recovery of Rogers, after recognizing her from the Amber Alert issued February 21st and taking swift action until police arrived.
QuikTrip security guard C. Edmonds first noticed the young girl and an adult woman matching the alert description and enlisted the assistance of Camelback Moving crew members, who were at the location, to help identify and confirm the suspect’s vehicle.
In a quickly coordinated initiative, the Camelback Moving employees positioned one of their trucks to block the suspect’s vehicle while moving a second truck to prevent any escape from the parking lot.
Phoenix police arrived within minutes and recovered the child unharmed and in good health.
“We are incredibly proud of our community heroes: Robert Hernandez, Ralph Vollmert, Christopher Dixon, Kevin Place, Kevin Kimes, Gerardo Galacia, Kobe Brown and Michael Macallum for their courage, quick thinking, and teamwork,” Chad Olsen, the President of Camelback Moving, said. “Their actions exemplify what it means to look out for our community and to take its safety seriously. This is a powerful reminder that the Amber Alert system works. We also want to express our sincere gratitude that Kehlani was safely returned to her family.”
Camelback Moving recently engaged TAT (Truckers Against Trafficking) to begin training employees in human-trafficking awareness training.
In a statement Monday, Avondale Police thanked the community members who jumped in to help make sure the toddler was found.
"We would like to once again take the opportunity to thank our media partners, the community, and state, local, and federal law enforcement partners who all played an instrumental role in locating Kehlani. We especially thank the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Amber Alert system and the employees of Camelback Moving Inc. for their watchful eye and caring actions that brought Kehlani home."
The investigation is ongoing.
