CALLAWAY COUNTY, MO — A 6-week-old baby girl reported abducted in Lebanon was found safe Tuesday after Missouri State Highway Patrol troopers tracked a suspect vehicle through several counties and stopped it in Callaway County. The child was recovered unharmed during the traffic stop and later reunited with her mother at the patrol’s Troop F headquarters in Jefferson City.
Authorities said the response moved quickly after Lebanon police notified Troop F shortly before noon. Within minutes, investigators were searching for a white 2008 Mercury Grand Marquis and using license plate recognition cameras to follow its path eastbound on U.S. Highway 54. Two people were taken into custody without incident, including a 17-year-old girl identified as a suspect and an 18-year-old man who was driving.
How troopers tracked the suspect vehicle through central Missouri
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said Troop F received the first notice from the Lebanon Police Department at about 11:55 a.m. Three minutes later, Lebanon police asked for an AMBER Alert, and troopers immediately began checking the Flock license plate recognition system.
The vehicle was first detected in Camden County and then again in Cole County along U.S. Highway 54. Authorities circulated a photo of the car to responding troopers as the search widened across central Missouri. By 12:07 p.m., a third Flock camera had spotted the Mercury traveling eastbound near Route J in Callaway County, giving officers a tighter location to work with.
Traffic stop west of Fulton brought the recovery to an end
Before the AMBER Alert was issued, a trooper personally located the vehicle traveling eastbound on U.S. 54 west of Fulton. At about 12:15 p.m., the trooper carried out a traffic stop and recovered the baby unharmed. Officials did not report any injuries during the stop.
The child was then taken to Troop F headquarters in Jefferson City, where she was reunited with her mother. The highway patrol said the arrest happened without incident. The quick end to the search came less than half an hour after troopers first received word of the reported abduction.
Two people taken into custody as investigators keep details limited
Authorities identified the people taken into custody as a 17-year-old girl and an 18-year-old man. The patrol said the girl was considered a suspect and that the man was driving the vehicle when it was stopped. Officials have not released further information about how the baby was allegedly taken or what connection, if any, the suspects had to the child.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the Lebanon Police Department is handling the reported abduction and any potential criminal charges. That agency remains in charge of the investigation, and authorities have not announced formal charges. For now, officials are releasing only the basic details needed to describe the recovery and the custody of the two suspects.
Fulton police and county deputies helped with the search
The Missouri State Highway Patrol said the Fulton Police Department and the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office assisted in the case. Their help came as troopers narrowed the vehicle’s route through the region and worked to stop it before the AMBER Alert went out. The sequence of camera hits and the direct sighting by a trooper allowed officers to act before the situation could develop further.
Callaway County became the key location in the recovery because the vehicle was last tracked there before the stop near Fulton. The patrol has not said whether additional agencies were involved beyond the three departments named. The emphasis now appears to be on the Lebanon investigation, which will determine the next steps in the case.
What officials have said so far about the alleged abduction
So far, authorities have said little about the circumstances surrounding the reported abduction. They have not described when or where the baby was allegedly taken, nor have they explained the relationship between the suspects and the child. That leaves several parts of the case unresolved as investigators continue to gather information.
What is clear is that the child was found safe, the suspects were detained, and the baby was returned to her mother. The rapid recovery highlights how quickly license plate recognition tools can help law enforcement narrow a search once a vehicle is identified. Even so, the official investigation remains open under the Lebanon Police Department’s jurisdiction.
