- Twin babies were abducted on Monday after their mother went to pick up a Door Dash order.
- The suspect left one baby behind, who was found early Tuesday morning at an Indianapolis airport.
Police have arrested a 24-year-old woman and charged her with two counts of kidnapping, alleging that she abducted a pair of 5-month-old twins waiting in the car for their mother, leaving one of them near an airport and keeping the other in the car for two days.
On Monday evening, the mother of brothers Kason and Kyair Thomass, Wilhelmina Barnett, picked up a Door Dash order from a pizzeria in Columbus, Ohio. She left her car running and left the babies inside the vehicle, a black 2010 Honda Accord, the outlet added, CNN reported.
The car and the babies were gone when Barnett came back outside, per CNN. Hours later, Kyair was found at the Dayton International Airport — about 70 miles away — at approximately 4:15 a.m. the next morning, per CNN.
The Columbus Division of Police, the Indianapolis Metro Police Department (IMPD), and the FBI have been involved in the investigation.
The second baby, Kason, was not found until Thursday evening, near a Papa John's storefront in Indianapolis, according to an IMPD spokesperson. He was located just hours after the suspect was taken into police custody Thursday afternoon, according to a tweet by Columbus police.
"We would like to thank the IMPD officers and detectives who worked to track down the baby and suspect," IMPD told Insider in a statement. "Additionally, we would like to thank members of the community who helped in locating him."
According to local station WCMH, police said Kason was found in the same black Honda Accord wearing the same clothes from Monday. They estimated that he'd been inside the car for two days, the outlet added.
"Kason Thomass was found alive and safe tonight in Indianapolis," Columbus police Chief Elaine Bryant told Insider in a statement. "We are grateful to the public for their help throughout this investigation, and for the tireless work of our officers and our many partner agencies. They never stopped, never gave up hope, and would not rest until Kason was found. We are beyond thankful for their relentless dedication."
The suspect, Nalah Jackson, had been arrested by IMPD around 2 p.m. on Thursday on two kidnapping charges but she did not have Kason with her during the arrest. The FBI is also investigating,
On Tuesday, Barnett told local outlet WSYX, "I just miss my babies. I miss them being together and their smile."
"Kason, he loves eating and that's why I'm so so worried. I know he's flipping out. He eats so fast. He eats in 3 to 5 minutes," Barnett added.
"This means everything," the grandmother to the twins, LaFonda Thomas, told WCMH. "My grandsons get to open up their presents simultaneously — not one alone wishing that the other was there. I'm so happy, I'm so grateful."
"My son, oh — the cheer, the happiness in his voice that he knows that his son his safe, healthy, and he's gonna go get him," she added. "And that's gonna make our Christmas the best Christmas I've ever had in my 44 years of life."
The FBI did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.