SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) — Sioux Falls Police said a baby taken at gunpoint on his first birthday has been found safe. Two arrests have been made, but investigators are still looking for a third suspect.
29-year-old Lelana Sitting Up is wanted for kidnapping and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. Court documents say she knows the little boy’s parents and the alleged crimes happened on the child’s first birthday.
First-ever Amber Alert issued from Sioux Falls
Police say a 66-year old woman told them Sitting Up and 17-year-old Tianna Bluebird took her one-year-old grandson from the central Sioux Falls apartment. Court documents say Sitting Up pointed a gun at her, and the two drove off in a white car with the little boy.
“The 66-year-old wasn’t injured. The handgun was just displayed. So, they didn’t fire the gun at all,” Sam Clemens with the Sioux Falls Police Department said.
Investigators used traffic cameras to track the white car several blocks. They also used cell phone data, which brought them to another apartment building on the same street less than a mile away.
As of this morning, police were still looking for the boy and both alleged kidnappers.
“There’s concern for the infant. Neither of those were supposed to have custody of the infant,” Clemens said at Friday morning’s police briefing. “So, that’s our primary concern, is finding that boy and getting him back.”
This afternoon, law enforcement surrounded the building and went inside. That’s where the found the boy, along with one of the alleged kidnappers and the baby’s biological mom.
Tianna Bluebird faces kidnapping charges. Police also arrested 22-year-old Helena Bluebird, the baby’s biological mother. She’s accused of child abuse.
An arrest warrant for Sitting Up is for kidnapping and carries a $100,000 cash bond.
According to court documents, the boy’s parents lost custody of both of their young children. Other family members also lost custody.
A caseworker confirmed an active investigation, and they were expecting to have new custody paperwork in that case ready sometime Friday.
