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Rebecca Lewis and a former family friend West Hogs, who police say kidnapped the girl. Picture: Fox 13
A MISSING four-year-old Florida girl has been found safe in Tennessee and the man who took her is in custody, authorities said.
Rebecca Lewis and West Wild Hogs, 31, were located in Memphis, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation said on its Twitter page.
Authorities didn’t immediately release specifics about how the two were located or what charges Hogs might face.
Four-year-old Rebecca Lewis has been located safe. Picture: Fox 13.Source:Supplied
Polk County, Florida, Sheriff Grady Judd said during a news conference on Monday that Hogs took Rebecca Lewis, from the city of Lakeland in central Florida, on Saturday.
Hogs had turned up unexpectedly at Rebecca’s family home in Lazy Dazy Retreat caravan park and stayed overnight.
Polk County Sheriff’s Office deputies were called by Rebecca’s 16-year-old sister who woke to find both Rebecca and Hogs gone.
Deputies said surveillance video captured images of Hogs with the girl inside a Lakeland McDonald’s restaurant shortly after the abduction. Authorities said the pair spent 30 minutes inside the restaurant eating breakfast.
The two later resurfaced on video at a Forsyth, Georgia BP gas station. Fox News reports.
West Hogs, 31, is seen holding four-year-old Rebecca Lewis' hand at a service station in Forsythe, Georgia. Picture: Polk County Sheriff's Department.Source:Facebook
Earlier, Sheriff Judd pleaded with the public to help search for the girl.
“I’m not above a bunch of good old’ boys grabbing that four-year-old girl,†he said.
Oma Mae Lewis, Rebecca’s grandmother, told Bay News 9: “We just want our baby back home,â€
“So if there’s anyone out there, anywhere that can help us bring Becky home, please bring her home to us.â€
Hogs is a friend of Rebecca’s family but had not seen the family in more than two years.
He was asked to leave the family’s home more than two years ago after pulling a gun on the family.
A park ranger reported seeing a child matching the description of Rebecca in the area of Cove Lake State Park sometime between 10-11pm on Sunday.
An Amber Alert was issued.
The ranger didn’t recognise Hogs until hours later, after a missing person’s alert was issued. By then Hogs was gone.
Judd appeared upset with Tennessee law enforcement for refusing his office’s request over the weekend to issue an Amber Alert.
Still, he praised Tennessee authorities and others, including the FBI and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, for their assistance in tracking Hogs’ movements.
The Amber Alert issued by Polk County Sheriff's Department after the abduction of four-year-old Rebecca Lewis. Picture: Polk County Sheriff's Department.Source:Facebook
By the time Rebecca was recovered, Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky had issued Amber Alerts for the girl.
Hogs, who changed his name from Matthew Clark Pybus, was a friend of Rebecca’s family and once lived with the girl and her relatives — but hadn’t seen the girl in several years, according to Judd.
Relatives said Hogs had shown signs of depression and bipolar disorder.
Several agencies were looking for him on kidnapping charges.
He drove off with the child in a car he stole from his mother in Alabama, which is where he was originally from, Judd said.