Two Indianapolis women helped police apprehend a suspect behind the kidnapping of two five-month-old babies from Columbus and even helped locate one of the missing boys in Ohio last week, according to news reports.
Shyann Belmar told WSYX-TV that she met the suspect, Nalah Jackson, at a gas station Dec. 20. Jackson asked for a ride, and Belmar agreed, WRGT-TV reported.
At that time, Belmar was unaware Jackson was wanted for the kidnapping of Kyair and Kason Thomas. The two babies had been in the back seat of a car that was left running when the vehicle was stolen Dec. 19, according to CNN.
“I’m still in shock,” Belmar told WSYX. “I’m still in shock, because I’m still saying I cannot believe I had a fugitive in my car.”
Jackson is believed to have abandoned Kyair early Tuesday morning, Dec. 20, in a parking lot at Dayton International Airport, but Kason was still missing when the women first met the suspect, according to the report.
Belmar realized that she had met Jackson after coming across a mugshot of her on her Facebook timeline, she told WSYX.
Subsequently, Belmar approached her cousin Mecka Curry to work out a plan that could lead to Jackson’s arrest and Kason’s discovery.
Once they were sure of the plan, the duo got to work, approaching Jackson and picking her up Thursday, Dec. 22.
Behind the scenes, they had reached out to Columbus and Indianapolis police to coordinate a mock police traffic stop by the Indianapolis police to intercept the vehicle with Jackson in the back seat.
“The officer got me out of the car first, and he’s like, ‘So what’s going on?'” Belmar said, according to the news station. “And I’m telling him, ‘Listen, there’s a lady who kidnapped some kids from out of town. This is her in my backseat.'”
Police subsequently arrested Jackson.
Despite being arrested, Jackson was not cooperating with police in helping find Kason, WSYX-TV.
The search for the child continued. Belmar and Curry continued their sleuthing, hoping to help find the missing baby.
One clue they found was a bus schedule that Jackson had left in Belmar’s car, according to CNN. That prompted the women to retrace the bus route to look for cars buried in the snow.
The search eventually took them to the parking lot of a Papa Johns’ restaurant in Indianapolis, where Kason was found alive in a Honda believed stolen by Jackson, WSYX-TV reported.
“We went to every car in the parking lot,” Belmar said, according to WSYX-TV. “We went to every row in the parking lot to look for that car.” When they spotted the car, the women flagged nearby police officers to notify them of their discovery.
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As of Monday, Kason was recovering at a hospital in the city, WSYX-TV reported.
Belmar met Kason’s mother on Monday, according to the news station. The twins’ mother hailed Belmar and Curry as “heroes.”
Jackson is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, according to WRGT-TV.
This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.
