MACON, Ga. — A Macon 13-year-old is now in custody, accused of stealing a car and abducting an infant. An Amber Alert went out this afternoon for 4-month-old Malachi Walker.
But late this afternoon, they reported he's now safe. 13WMAZ spoke to a woman who said she was the suspect's mother. She said she was a troubled teen who had stolen a car before. But never anything like this.
13WMAZ is not naming the woman or showing her face to protect the identity of her daughter, who's a juvenile. But she did agree to speak with us.
"I apologize to the family. But the baby is okay. He is unharmed, and hopefully, I can get some assistance that she needs to get her life back on track," said the suspect's mom.
On Monday afternoon, the Bibb County Sheriff's office said they found Malachi Walker at the Days Inn on River Place Drive.
They say Malachi's father, Kevin Walker, delivers groceries to people's homes through the Instacart app.
On Monday, he had two sons in the car, Malachi and his 4-year-old brother. While making his rounds, Kevin Walker met the 13-year-old and her mother, who are family friends. The girl asked if she could ride along, and he agreed.
Around 11:30 a.m., Kevin Walker took his older son into the Publix on Thomaston Road to clean up, according to Sgt. Christopher Williams, Malachi was missing more than three and a half hours.
"While he was inside, the 13-year-old got out of the vehicle and got out of the passenger seat. Got into the front seat and drove the vehicle off, which was confirmed by store surveillance," Williams said.
The suspect's mother hopes her daughter will get the help she needs.
"I've gotten nowhere. Hopefully, this will be the straw that broke the camel's back, and somebody will actually listen," the suspect's mom said.
Now, the girl's in custody, and the infant is safe. But, so far, no one is saying why the girl allegedly abducted young Malachi or why she took him to the Days Inn motel.