A girl who Wichita police thought may have been in danger turned out to be OK and the girl’s mom was arrested for making a false police report.
Officers had been looking for 2-year-old Anyla James since Sunday, after the mom told police the girl’s father made homicidal and suicidal statements. As they investigated, police found details that did not match up with the 34-year-old woman’s story. Police say this stemmed from a custody dispute. Both parents had legal custody of Anyla, and officers were not able to find any court orders that outlined custody agreements.
Anyla was taken to her grandmother Monday afternoon, where police learned she was OK. The father reportedly did not want to talk with police because he has warrants. Police Captain Brent Allred says these warrants were not cause for concern about Anyla’s safety and she is still with her father.
Speaking Tuesday morning, police officials said multiple supervisors and officers were involved in this investigation that used up 117-hours of law enforcement time.
The 34-year-old mother was booked for felony interfering with law enforcement. It’s up to the District Attorney’s Office to decide if that is the appropriate charge.
