When a person or child goes missing, the first few days of the investigation are the most vital as the chances of finding them alive drastically decrease the more time passes.
When authorities from Texas found out a little girl had gone missing, they did everything in their power to spread the word in the hopes that someone would have information that could lead to her whereabouts. After 2 years, however, they thought it would be impossible to ever find her…
Saving A Life
When people choose to dedicate their lives to teaching children, they hope that their hard work will positively impact the life of a child and set them up for a better future. When a teacher from Lubbock, Texas, went to work 1 day in October 2016, however, she realized she had the power to literally save 1 of her students.
The Only Option
On October 17, 2016, a teacher discovered that her 5-year-old student was in serious danger and that his mother wasn’t doing anything to protect him. Since it was obvious that no one else would protect him and his siblings, she decided there was only one option left…
The Allegations
That day, the teacher contacted Child Protective Services and explained that her 5-year-old student told her that his mother’s boyfriend had punched him in the face. The little boy also said that his mother’s boyfriend also threatened to kill the family by driving them into a pond.
Clear And Present Danger
According to authorities, the 5-year-old’s mother had also tested positive for methamphetamine the same day that her son confided in his teacher about what was really going on at home. Based on the allegations of abuse and drug use, it was clear to authorities that the children were in serious danger…
A Court Order
Authorities from Child Protective Services had begun building a case against Amanda Martinez, and on October 20, authorities tried to contact the mother of 3 to tell her that a court order had been issued to remove the children from her custody.
Too Late
Authorities were concerned for the welfare of Martinez’s 3 kids, 7-year-old Mariah, 5-year-old Jeremiah, and 2-year-old Leimiah. However, when they tried to contact her a few days later, they discovered they were already too late…
On The Run
By the time agents from Child Protective Services reached out to Martinez, she had vanished and her 3 kids had vanished with her. Authorities suspected that when she realized she was about to lose custody of her kids, she decided to go on the run.
Spreading The Word
Over the next few months, local investigators did everything to locate Martinez as they feared her children were in danger and because she was interfering with child custody. In order to spread the word about the children, officers broadcast the information on a real crime TV show…
The Reality Crime Show
Investigators hoped that by sharing information about the case on ‘Live PD’, a reality crime show on A&E where viewers are given, “a live look at police across the country as they work the night shift in real time,” that someone would be able to give them a clue as to where Martinez had gone.
A Break In The Case
“Mariah’s mom was about to lose custody of all three children. Police say instead of going to court, she took all three kids and went on the run,” NCMEC spokeswoman Angeline Hartman told Live PD. A few months later, police made their first big break in the case…
The Charge
In January 2017, about 3 months after going on the run, investigators found out that Martinez had returned to Lubbock. After tracking her down, police arrested her and charged her with interfering with child custody.
Finding The Boys
After taking Martinez into custody, police were able to retrace her steps and found that she had returned to Lubbock to drop Jeremiah and Leihmiah off with a relative who agreed to take them in and care for them…
Fearing The Worst
Detectives were able to recover the 2 little boys and were relieved to find that they were both unharmed and seemed to be in good health. Unfortunately, however, Martinez’s eldest child, Mariah, was nowhere to be found which made them fear something had happened to her.
Refusing To Cooperate
Detectives demanded Martinez tell them where her daughter was, but she refused to cooperate with them. Ultimately, she pleaded no contest to the interference charge and was ordered to avoid any more arrests for the next 3 years as a result. Martinez was also prohibited from having contact with any of her kids…
The Punishment
In addition, Martinez was ordered to complete 120 hours of community service, is prohibited from visiting any place that sells alcohol, has to submit DNA testing, and must be home between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.
No New Leads
“After questioning the mother, police believe the 8-year-old female (Mariah) is still in the New Mexico area,” Lubbock police spokeswoman Tiffany Pelt explained. Over the next year, however, there were no new developments in the case and investigators started to fear they would never find Mariah…
The Tip
However, on March 23, 2018, police received a crucial tip when they least expected it after someone watched a rerun of the Live PD episode featuring Mariah’s case. “This person recognized the child and the state police were later contacted,” New Mexico State Police Lt. Elizabeth Armijo explained.
Closing In On A Location
“We got this general idea that she was in Albuquerque,” Armijo said. Based on the tip the Live PD viewer reported to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, investigators from Texas were able to work with local officers in New Mexico to track Mariah down…
A Happy Ending
“We located her through information we had obtained through the interviews we conducted and subsequent surveillance of the apartment in the Albuquerque area where we eventually found her,” Armijo said about the moment Mariah was found safe with relatives that had been caring for her.
A Rare Success Story
After police located the now 9-year-old, she has been placed in the care of the New Mexico Children, Youth, and Families Department. “It’s up to the courts to determine where she will be placed,” Armijo said. “The fact that she is in good health is a relief to the people who hear about these stories. This is the whole point of having segments on these kids and putting faces on [the] news — there are success stories.”
Reality TV Rerun Helps Cops Make Break In 2-Year-Old Missing Child Case is an article from: LifeDaily