SEATTLE — Police say what appears to be a false report triggered an AMBER Alert out of north Seattle Monday morning.
The 8-year-old girl at the center of the alert was found safe and wasn’t ever considered missing, according to the Seattle Police Department (SPD).
According to the AMBER Alert issued by the Washington State Patrol, the girl was last seen traveling in a car in Seattle’s Bitter Lake neighborhood. The initial report stated the mother of the missing girl got out of the car while the suspect was in the passenger seat. The alert said the suspect then jumped into the driver’s seat, locked the doors and started driving southbound on Aurora Avenue North near North 125th Street.
However, after further investigation, the SPD discovered the 8-year-old girl was not in the vehicle and was safe at her dad’s house.
The mother’s vehicle is unaccounted for but not considered stolen. The SPD said the person who took the vehicle had permission to drive it.
Officials said the mom has not been taken into custody as of Monday morning but could possibly be charged with a crime at a later time.
The AMBER Alert was canceled about 90 minutes after it was issued.
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