Police in Ohio are begging a woman named Nalah Jackson to return a missing 5-month-old twin boy. The baby is named Kason Thomas, has been missing since Monday night. Police believe Kason is in danger. There was an AMBER alert.
WATCH NOW: Update on Amber Warning issued to 5-month-old Kason Thomass. https://t.co/2nyWZ3Bzfg pic.twitter.com/NAOCXzhU93
– Columbus Ohio Police (@ColumbusPolice) December 20, 2022
Columbus police Sheriff Elaine Bryant held a press conference on Tuesday afternoon addressing the carjacking and kidnapas well as the recovery of one of the twins named Kyair Thomass.
“First, I want to beg. Nalah Jackson, I beg you to return Kason Thomass. We thank you for coming back to Kyair. You showed us you can do the right thing. You can take him back to any safe location: fire department, hospital, shopping mall. Any public place where someone will find a baby.
We beg you to return Kason. We can even pick him up, just give us a call and tell us where you are and where Kason is. No questions were asked. This is number 614-645-4701. Getting him home safely is our number one priority.”
Police believe the suspect stole a black four-door car Honda Accord 2010 from the parking lot of a pizzeria called Donatos. The campus is located at East 1st Avenue and North High Street in Columbus, Ohio.
Additional details about the car: missing front bumper, temporarily torn Ohio registration tag on the rear bumper and white bumper sticker that reads ‘Westside City Toys’.
Police also believe the vehicle was involved in a crash and suffered extensive damage, including the purple paint being shifted to the left before the robbery.
Their mother left the missing child and his twin Kyair in the moving car. At the time of the carjacking and kidnapping, the twins’ mother was working as a delivery driver for DoorDash. So she was at the restaurant to finish taking the order.
reporting staff Investigator notice that Jackson was in the restaurant when the mother entered around 9:45 p.m. on December 19. Jackson quickly exited the restaurant and proceeded to steal the car with the infants in the backseat.
HAVE YOU SEE THIS CAR?
Police need help finding a black four-door 2010 Honda Accord that was stolen near Short North. Two 5-month-old babies were in the car when it was arrested. The car has lost its front bumper and has tinted windows. Call 911 immediately! pic.twitter.com/xHpGqYyF0S
– Columbus Ohio Police (@ColumbusPolice) December 20, 2022
Kyair was then safely abandoned outside Dayton Airport around 4 a.m. Tuesday. He is said to be in the care of his parents. It is not clear if the mother will face any charges, including dangerous endangerment.
The suspect has no apparent connection to the twins or their mother
The 24-year-old suspect is a Black woman, described as 5 feet 7 inches tall and weighs 159 pounds. She has a low cut, black hair and brown eyes. Police have not identified any links or known relationships between Nalah Jackson and the mother and children.
Columbus police identified Jackson as a ‘homeless’ person or an immigrant with a criminal history with their department. One of her arrests included endangering children with intent to harm—as confirmed during Tuesday’s conference.
Surveillance footage released by the Columbus Police Department captured Jackson at a gas station in Huber Heights around 11:45 p.m. Monday. At the time Jackson entered the station, asking for money from an employee, she was still driving the stolen Honda Accord.
NEW IMAGE ABOUT AMBER ALERT
The search for Kason Thomass is still ongoing, who is in his mother’s car, which was stolen in Short North last night. The suspect, Nalah Jackson, was then videotaped at a gas station in Huber Heights, where she demanded money from an employee. pic.twitter.com/baipObzCCK
– Columbus Ohio Police (@ColumbusPolice) December 20, 2022
Here’s the timeline of the kidnapping & how the public can help the police locate the missing infant
Sheriff Bryant released a timeline of events on Tuesday. They first received reports of a stolen vehicle and missing children around 9:45 p.m. local time on Monday. Police arrived at the scene around 9:52 pm
By 10:17 p.m., police had set up a grid-based search involving more than 50 departmental officers and helicopters.
About 13 minutes later, neighboring police departments and the Ohio State Highway Patrol were notified of the incident and joined the search.
Police continued their investigation, including visiting former Jackson addresses and three homeless shelters in the Columbus area.
Although Columbus police requested an AMBER alert from the Ohio State Highway Patrol at 11:45 p.m., the statewide warning was not issued until 1:37 a.m.
Police received a call about Kyair Thomass being abandoned at Dayton Airport at 4:15 am. The abandoned site is about 70 miles from the abduction site via I-70 W. It takes about an hour to get there from Donatos in Columbus.
Columbus police detectives departed for Dayton to continue their investigation around 6 a.m. Tuesday. Huber Heights police alerted Columbus police to Jackson’s arrest on surveillance video at the gas station.
Jackson’s current location and the location of the vehicle are unknown.
Officials urge anyone with information to call 911 or the Department of Columbus Special Victims Unit at 614-645-4701.
Watch the full press conference below:
This is an evolving story.
