A child abducted in Iowa on Sunday was found safely at an Indiana gas station nearly 360 miles away the following morning.
The unidentified 11-year-old was taken from Iowa City on Sunday, and police deducted that the child was taken by a non-custodial parent who was trying to take the child back to the East Coast with her, according to WTHR.
Authorities said they believed the mother would travel through Indiana, and alerted Indiana State Police at around 2am Monday.
The Indiana State Police immediately started searching, and identified a suspect vehicle, a gray 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix at a gas station off Interstate 65 just about 40 minutes later, CBS 2 Iowa reports.
Officers then found the child safely inside the vehicle with two adults.
Ronique Pittman, 36, was then taken into custody on a child abduction warrant out of Iowa.
She has since been charged in Johnson County with violating a custodial order by a relative, The Daily Iowan reports.
A criminal complaint obtained by CBS 2 Iowa shows Pittman had her parental rights taken away on May 5, 2022.
Authorities said she told the child’s father she planned to take the child to North Carolina, where she lives.
The 11 year old was safely taken into custody by the Indiana State Police, before going to the Department of Child Services to arrange a reunion with the custodial parent.