MACCLENNY, Fla. – After an all-night search for a missing 12-year-old boy that lead police through multiple counties in two states, Noah Anderson is safe and sound and back in his grandparents' custody.
The near 9-hour search ended Friday morning when Jacksonville Sheriff's officers located Anderson, who had been abducted by his mother, Stacey Siddell, who doesn't have legal custody of him.
Baker County Sheriff Joey Dobson said Siddell and Anderson's father, William Anderson, have a custody dispute over the boy and were scheduled to appear in Duval County court on Thursday morning.
Officers said that Anderson's mother and father met up in Brunswick Thursday and were supposed to trail each other back to Jacksonville.
But Siddell veered off from Anderson's father and was later spotted at a Super 8 motel in Waycross, Georgia.
After police found Noah Anderson and his mother in Jacksonville, Siddell was placed in the hospital, because officials believed she was suffering from mental illness.
Siddell's mother, Janice Siddell, was overcome with emotion and said that her daughter just needed help.
"They got the mother's car, then they split off," Dobson said. "The mother had the child, the dad was by himself. It ended up, they didn't come to Jacksonville together."
Anderson's paternal grandparents have legal custody, and Noah Anderson is safely back in their custody.
The Baker County Sheriff's Office alerted the Waycross Police Department, the Ware County Sheriff's Office and the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office about the disappearance.
According to a Baker County press release, at 12:05 a.m. Friday, investigators from Baker County traveled to Waycross where Stacey Siddell and Noah Anderson had been seen at a Super 8 Motel. Both had left by the time law enforcement arrived.
Stacey Siddell had been known to frequent a residence at 1047 Nelson Street in Jacksonville and was apprehended there at 3:47 a.m. Friday.
"At this time, we don't think there will be any charges against anyone. The mother will be taken for an evaluation and determined what her situation will be by the end of the day, hopefully, the weekend," Dobson said.
Deputies said Siddell was believed to be delusion and suffering from mental illness which is why they believed Noah Anderson to be in danger.
William Anderson issued a statement about the return of his son.
"My son is doing just fine and receiving the care that he needs. Right now, my family is going through a lot, and we hope to get the help that we need to get us through these issues," William Anderson said.
William Anderson also said Stacey Siddell remains in the hospital Friday night. He said she is in recovery from this episode.