HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — The 1-year-old girl who was at the center of a Hillsborough County Amber Alert is home safe with her family, but the case is not closed.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office is still looking for the person they say stole the SUV while baby Tinnley West slept in the backseat.
The SUV was found about three miles away from the Valrico driveway where it was taken Tuesday afternoon.
Sheriff Chad Chronister said Tinnley's mom had been in the neighborhood, helping her mother-in-law unload items from the silver Volkswagen Tiguan. They were trying not to wake the young girl, allowing her to keep sleeping in a car seat inside the SUV in the 2600 block of Green Valley Street in Valrico.
But, as they were unloading the SUV, Chronister says somebody managed to jump inside and drive off with the baby inside.
The family called 911, and deputies raced over to begin doing grid searches of the area. They were able to locate the SUV, which had been abandoned at St. Andrews United Methodist Church on Bryan Road in Brandon.
Chronister said it was lucky deputies found the car in time. It had gotten a little warm inside since the SUV was turned off when it was found.
But the person who took off with the 1-year-old in the SUV is still out there.
This is what we know so far:
The sheriff's office released a home surveillance video of a man seen in the area shortly before the car was stolen. He'd been asking passersby for a ride before the car theft, Chronister said.
"No coincidence there," said Chronister, who explained the man in the video also matched witness descriptions of the guy seen fleeing the stolen car after it was abandoned at the church.
A K-9 unit was dispatched to the car to see if the dog can help track down the man.
"I would encourage you to turn yourself in," Chronister said in a message to the man.
The Amber Alert has been discontinued. But, authorities hope it will serve as a precautionary tale for other families.
- 'Don't let me find you': Dad warns man who stole SUV with 1-year-old inside
- Ash Wednesday will look different this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic
- Local medical expert weighs in on safe spring break plans
- Sand tiger shark washes ashore on St. Augustine Beach
- Commissioner admits she handpicked zip codes to receive vaccine appointments
- FWC launches criminal investigation following reports of 13 scalped pelicans near Skyway Fishing Pier
►Breaking news and weather alerts: Get the free 10 Tampa Bay app
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for the Brightside Blend Newsletter