DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — A 1-year-old girl at the center of an Amber Alert in DeKalb County has been found. DeKalb County police said Royalty Grisby was found in good health and has been reunited with her mother.
The child was taken to the hospital to be evaluated but was in good health. >> SCROLL DOWN FOR MORE PHOTOS <<
The suspect 14-year-old Malachi Richardson is in custody and will be charged with kidnapping and theft by taking a motor vehicle. Police said Richardson was already in custody when the baby was dropped off.
Police said a passerby saw someone placing the baby on a porch off Stoneleigh Hill Road and alerted the homeowner. Anna Henderson had no idea that a baby was on her doorstep.
“I opened the door and all I could see was police officers. So when I looked down, I could see the feet of the baby and then I saw the face of the baby,” Henderson told Channel 2′s Richard Elliot. “At that point, the police said the baby had been dropped off at your doorstep. And at that moment, I’m just shaking nervous, but a happy nervousness.”
TRENDING STORIES:
- Man who wrote Georgia’s hate crime law says spa shooter could still be charged with one
- ‘Kendrick didn’t deserve this.’ Family hopes new audio clip could lead to Kendrick Johnson’s killer
- Beloved Georgia principal, wife and 3-year-old son killed in fiery car crash on I-16
Grisby was inside an SUV early Thursday morning with her mother Elizabeth Grisby who works as a delivery driver.
She was making a DoorDash delivery at 1207 Harvest Dale Court in Stone Mountain around 2 a.m. when investigators say a 14-year-old jumped into the SUV and took off with Royalty inside.
Elizabeth Grisby told reporters that she left the keyless car running, but had the keys in her pocket as she went to the front door. She said she often works deliveries at night so her daughter can sleep while she does.
[DONATE: GoFundMe for baby Royalty and Elizabeth Grisby]
When she turned around, the teen had already jumped into the car and was driving off. She said she chased after the car as it sped away. Investigators said they believe the DoorDash order was a set up.
Officers spent the morning searching for the maroon 2010 Nissan Armada with Georgia tag #RWW4748. Around 9 a.m. they found the SUV in a neighborhood in Lithonia. They said the tags on the car had been switched and the 1-year-old was no longer inside.
Police later arrested Richardson. Police scoured the neighborhood in a search for the missing baby until a breakthrough.
“We received a call from a homeowner who had been alerted by a passerby that a baby was crying on her porch. When she came out, she found the baby matched the description of baby Royalty,” DeKalb police chief Mirtha Ramos said.
Henderson told Channel 2 Action News that she had been following the story all day, but never expected it to end on her doorstep. She also said she has lived in the home for more than 30 years and that kids have always known that they can come to her house.
Late Thursday night, DeKalb County police tweeted out new photos of Royalty in the hospital giving a hug to the police spokesperson.
[SIGN UP: WSB-TV Daily Headlines Newsletter]
This browser does not support the video element.