UPDATE
A Tennessee girl is safe after a man fled with her on foot during a Chattanooga travel stop. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation reports that the child was not harmed and the suspect was captured.
Original Story
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued a Statewide Amber Alert for missing 23-month-old little girl who disappeared on Thursday.
According to TBI, the Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office is looking for 37-year-old Matias Martinez, who apparently fled on foot during a routine traffic stop in Chattanooga. He allegedly took a toddler girl with him, identified as Octavia Shaw.
Police pulled a car over at the intersection of Dayton Pike and Boy Scout Road on Thursday afternoon and found a woman driving the car, with a little girl and Martinez inside. The woman said the girl, Octavia, was her granddaughter. Authorities told Martinez to take the baby and stand in the shade due to the heat, while they questioned the driver further.
#AMBERAlert NEWS ALERT: A tipster spotted Matias Martinez and Octavia Shaw in the area where they disappeared last night and called authorities.
We're pleased to report she's been safely recovered and he's in custody!
Thank you for helping us to spread the word! pic.twitter.com/lOhW3LG22e
— TBI (@TBInvestigation) May 24, 2019
As authorities detained the woman after learning she had active warrants out on her, Martinez snuck away from the the scene with the toddler. Authorities said they searched the area but didn’t find them.
Martinez has brown eyes and black hair and stands about 5-feet-1o-inches tall. He has a Massachusetts driver’s license.
NEW PICTURE: Here's a new still from @hcsotn of #AMBERAlert suspect Matias Martinez from this evening's traffic stop. If you spot him, call authorities immediately! pic.twitter.com/8k5uVIHuNy
— TBI (@TBInvestigation) May 24, 2019
Anyone with any information should immediately call 911 or 1-800-TBI-FIND.
[Feature Photo: Octavia Shaw/TBI]
