PEABODY — A six-year-old girl abducted by her estranged father was safely returned to Peabody early this morning, according to local authorities.
The child was reported missing at 1:10 a.m. on April 30 following a domestic disturbance.
Her father, identified as Jamaine B.
Johnson, 41, of Boston, fled the scene in a vehicle he was not authorized to use.
Peabody Police, working with technology experts, tracked the vehicle but initially did not issue an Amber Alert as the situation did not meet the necessary criteria.
However, after Johnson made threatening statements concerning his daughter’s safety, State Police were notified, and preparations for an Amber Alert began.
Investigators also received information that Johnson might be heading to Rhode Island, prompting them to alert Rhode Island State Police.
At 3:39 a.m., just before the Amber Alert could be issued, Rhode Island State Police located the vehicle.
Officers engaged in a pursuit that ended with a foot chase and Johnson’s arrest.
The child was found unharmed.
Johnson faces multiple charges, including assault and battery on a family or household member, strangulation, threatening to commit a crime, larceny of a motor vehicle, and kidnapping of a child.
The Essex County District Attorney’s Office is coordinating efforts to extradite Johnson back to Massachusetts.
