Tennessee toddler home safe thanks to Amber Alert
Two-year-old Brooklynne Enix had been missing Wednesday. She was found two states away on Thursday, after a driver reported a vehicle described in an Amber Alert on the radio.
Brooklynne Emerie Enix is shown in this undated photo provided by Knoxville Police Department. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued an Amber Alert on Wednesday for Brooklynne. Police issued a warrant charging Tyler Enix, Brooklynne's father, with murder of the girl's mother Kimberly Enix.
Knoxville Police Department/AP
A missing two-year-old girl from Knoxville, Tenn., was found safe Thursday in Ohio because of the Amber Alert system.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) listed Tyler Enix on the state’s Top 10 Most Wanted List after his estranged wife Kimberly Enix was found dead in her apartment and their daughter Brooklynne Enix was no where to be seen. A warrant issued late Wednesday night charged Enix with first degree murder for his wife’s death.
Ms. Enix's Neighbors in Fountain City told law enforcement that they saw Mr. Enix drive away from the apartment in a black Impala before the mother's body was found.
After hearing an Amber Alert on the radio descriptions of Brooklynne and her father, as well as information on the suspected vehicle, an Ohio driver realized he saw the same car on the road and called police. The Morrow County Sheriff’s Office responded to the driver’s 911 call and stopped the vehicle north of Columbus. Officers recovered the girl from inside the sedan and transported her father to a local jail where he awaits extradition to Tennessee.
Reports show Tyler Enix has a volatile past. In October 2010, he pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and harassment and received a sentence of four years in prison. He was released in mid-July 2014.
Because of that record and suspicion that he might have been involved in his wife's death, authorities had been fearful for Brooklynne's safety. Instead of urging Enix to turn himself in, Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch simply asked him to drop off the girl in a safe location, like a hospital or fire hall.
“If you are going to run, run,” said Chief Rausch. “This is about making sure the child is OK.”
Brooklynne’s case is a testament to the success of the Amber Alert system. As of August 2015, NCMEC says the Amber Alert system has successfully rescued 772 missing children since the system began in 1996.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) continues to develop new methods for disseminating information about child abductions, including a partnerships with Uber and Facebook.
This report contains material from the Associated Press.