A 2-year-old girl in Arizona was found safe two days after she was reportedly abducted from her home and forced to sleep on the streets by a meth-using stranger allowed inside by her parents, authorities say.
Kehlani Rogers was last seen Friday evening at her Avondale home and was reported missing. She was safely located on Sunday morning, the Avondale Police Department confirmed.
Kehlani Rogers, 2, was last seen Friday evening at her Avondale home and was found safe Sunday morning.
Authorities say 23-year-old Marina Noriega was taken into custody for allegedly abducting the toddler after she was found with Kehlani at a Phoenix gas station.
Court records obtained by 12 News indicate that Kehlani’s parents had allowed the “random woman” to stay in their home.
Early Saturday, the parents discovered that Noriega had disappeared with their daughter, prompting an urgent search. Investigators later confirmed through surveillance footage from a Maricopa business that Noriega and Kehlani were together, according to a Saturday police update.
Marina Noriega, 23, was taken into custody for allegedly abducting 2-year-old Kehlani Rogers after police found her with the child at a Phoenix gas station.
Authorities said they had also received a tip from a woman who reported giving a ride to a woman and child matching Kehlani’s Amber Alert description. The woman told police that Noriega allegedly said she planned to take the toddler to California by train, according to News12.
Court records revealed that after her arrest, Noriega initially claimed to be Kehlani’s mother. She later admitted she was not the child’s parent and acknowledged that she “made a mistake.”
Investigators wrote in a court filing that Noriega “denied having any plan for the child after she took her and denied intent to sell or harm the child,” according to the outlet.
Court records revealed that Kehlani’s parents had allowed Noriega into their home because she needed a place to stay, only to wake up and discover she had allegedly run off with the toddler.
According to the records, Noriega claimed that she and Kehlani “slept on the street” together.
When taken into custody, Noriega was found in possession of a glass pipe. Stephen Garcia of the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office told the court that she admitted to using methamphetamine the day before, while she had control of the child.
Noriega has been charged with custodial interference and was ordered held on a $250,000 cash-only bond.
