Missing child located after mom, teen girl found dead; father arrested
State officials in Alabama on Friday, July 11, canceled an Amber Alert for a 3-year-old missing boy whose mother and a teenage girl were found dead at a home earlier this week.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) issued the alert for the child and his father, 41-year-old Aaron Dontay Williams, after officials said they found the toddler's mother and a 13-year-old girl dead inside their Auburn home.
According to information from the agency and the Auburn Police Department, Williams and his son were last seen on Monday, July 7.
In an update on the state agency's page, police wrote Williams had been captured and the boy had been located alive.
Here's what to know so far about the case:
Mother, teen girl found dead during welfare check
Auburn police responded at 2:30 p.m. Thursday to a home on a welfare check, according to a news release from the city of Auburn.
Arriving officers entered the home and found a woman and teenage girl dead and the woman's 3-year-old son missing, the release continues.
Police have not released how they suspect the mother and the teen girl died.
But the Lee County Coroner Daniel Sexton identified the victims as Tyeisha Williams, 34, and Zynniya Wright, 13. The victims' relationship was not immediately released.
Aaron Dontay Williams arrested in Tennessee
Auburn Public Safety Police and Fire reported about 7:15 a.m. on Friday, July 11, that the United States Marshals Service, in conjunction with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI), took Williams into custody.
Michael Harris, assistant police chief with the city of Auburn, told Paste BN that Aaron Dontay Williams was arrested in Giles County in southern Tennessee, not far from the Alabama state line.
He remained incarcerated in Tennessee on July 11 without bond. He is slated to have an extradition hearing before any other hearings after being transported to Alabama to face a first-degree kidnapping charge.
Additional charges are pending in the case, Harris said.
"As we are still in the midst of a very active investigation, we are not releasing any additional information regarding manner of death, other than both were victims of homicide," Harris said.
Police did not share a possible motive behind the killings.
Paste BN contacted the ALEA and TBI, which referred all questions to police in Alabama. Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Auburn police at 334-501-7313.
This story has been updated to add new information.
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for Paste BN. Reach her at nalund@usatoday.com and follow her on X @nataliealund.