NORTH MIAMI, Fla. – A 5-year-old girl who was abducted from her home has been found safe. The woman accused of taking her is under arrest.
On Sunday, for nearly 10 hours, police scoured the area around northeast 119 Street and Biscayne Boulevard searching for Jayda Velazquez.
Police said Velazquez was abducted by Kimberly Lopez.
"We didn't know who she was, what she's involved in, or what her intentions were so of course the child was in danger," said North Miami Police Major Neal Cuevas.
Investigators said Lopez was visiting the girl's San Souci Blvd. apartment Saturday night with other people, who were friends of the child's uncle.
A man at that gathering took a picture of Lopez clutching the little girl and showed it to WPLG-TV. The man didn't want to be identified, but he said Lopez wouldn't let the child out of her sight.
"She was trying to take the baby to the kitchen… trying to separate herself with the child throughout the night; getting attached, you know," he explained.
Around 3 a.m. police said Velazquez walked out of the apartment with Velazquez. The girl's uncle spotted them in the street from his balcony, but by the time he went downstairs to rescue his niece, they were gone.
Police put out an Amber alert with photographs of Velazquez and Lopez. It wasn't until nearly 1 p.m. on Sunday afternoon, that detectives tracked down the woman and girl.
They were found in an apartment in the 1500 block of northeast 118th Street, about a mile away from where the kidnapping took place.
A man who lives and shares the apartment with his friend, told WPLG-TV that Lopez just moved in with them three days ago. He said he wasn't home when the police converged on the apartment. However, he said Lopez recently lost custody of her own child, who is about the same age as Jayda.
Police said they are looking into the loss of her own child and this alleged kidnapping.
Lopez is charged with kidnapping and interfering with parental custody.
Velazquez was not hurt and has been returned to her family.