Broward mother charged with kidnapping her 8-month-old, cops say. An Amber Alert was issued
The birth parents of an 8-month-old girl, the subject of a now-canceled Florida Amber Alert, were arrested Wednesday after police officers and a SWAT team retrieved her safely from a home in Broward County.
Arys Maria Martinez, 34, of Pembroke Pines, is charged with kidnapping a minor and Jacob Alexander Howard, 34, of Oakland Park, with interfering with the custody of a child. Their parental rights were terminated before the alert was issued, according to authorities.
Martinez and Howard voluntarily surrendered their parental rights of the 8-month-old on Feb. 15. While the reasoning is not clear, Howard told Davie police officers he did it because he felt he could not take proper care of her. He was also checked into a sober living facility for several months.
The child was placed into the care of her grandmother, Teresa Leon, and will eventually be put up for adoption. According to a court order, Howard has visitation rights but not Martinez.
Heated fight turns into kidnapping
At 11 a.m. on Tuesday, Leon dropped the child off at Viva Christian Academy, 4961 SW 148th Ave., according to an arrest report.
But around 1:40 p.m., Howard picked her up from the daycare, police said.
That night detectives questioned Howard on the baby’s whereabouts. He told them he picked her up and gave her to Martinez. He hadn’t heard from the mother since.
While talking to investigators, he also revealed that Leon and Martinez got into a heated, physical argument on Monday.
Martinez then grabbed the baby and drove off in Leon’s car, eventually returning with both later that day.
Sometime before picking up the baby from daycare Tuesday afternoon, Howard received a call from Martinez, who threatened to have him arrested if he did not bring the baby to her.
By Wednesday morning, authorities had issued an Amber Alert, canceling it hours later after Amelia was located.
“The child is safe,” the Florida Department of Law Enforcement said in a Facebook post.
In a post on X, Pembroke Pines police said its SWAT team assisted in “retrieving” Amelia from Martinez’s home near Northwest 215th Avenue and Northwest 8th Court.
According to the arrest report, a white powdery substance in a baggy and a rolled-up dollar was found in her bathroom.
Martinez denied the kidnapping allegations to detectives, but did admit to using drugs, the report read. She continued to say that her plan was to go to the airport to flee to Spain.
According to police, the child is in the custody of ChildNet, a nonprofit hired by the Florida Department of Children & Families to manage child protection systems in Broward and Palm Beach counties.
Martinez and Howard remained behind bars at Broward’s Main Jail as of Thursday morning pending their bond hearings.
This story was originally published February 21, 2024 at 8:44 AM.
