BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – The search for a 3-year-old girl has intensified days after she was kidnapped from a Birmingham housing community.
Kamille McKinney was last seen around 8:30 p.m. Saturday. Officers say she was kidnapped from the front yard of a residence in Tom Brown Village during a birthday party.
Kamille, nicknamed “Cupcake,” was last seen wearing a pink t-shirt with leopard-print design and leopard-print shorts with no shoes.
The search has expanded beyond Alabama
During a news conference Monday, Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith confirmed authorities are searching beyond state lines for Kamille.
The AMBER Alert issued for Alabama remains active. On Monday, Gov. Kay Ivey also announced they are finalizing plans to offer a $5,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the perpetrator(s) and the location of Kamille. The plans were finalized on Tuesday.
The final statement is below:
Birmingham officers reported on Sunday they were looking for a black male and white female believed to be in the vehicle that took Kamille.
The vehicle was described as a dark-colored SUV, believed to be an older model (2001-2006) Toyota Sequoia with beige trim.
Police said the vehicle drove up and a woman grabbed Kamille.
Chief Smith said the two people are being questioned extensively about the kidnapping.
If you have any additional information, Birmingham Police have offered an additional hotline number for people who see Kamille or have other information about the case. That number is (205) 297-8413. In addition, anyone one with any information may also call CrimeStoppers at 205-254-7777 or 911.
Chief Smith faced questioning at Monday’s news conference about the AMBER Alert being sent hours after Kamille was kidnapped. He said the reason the alert came so much later is because the family independently searched for Kamille before calling authorities.
“As many families think that they can resolve their issue on their own, they think that they can do just a quick search of the neighborhood or area to find a missing person or missing child,” said Chief Smith during a news conference. “There was a little bit of a delay in getting the information to law enforcement so we can conduct a thorough grid search of the entire area before putting out an AMBER Alert.”
Kamille was kidnapped around 8:30 p.m. Saturday and the AMBER Alert was sent at 12:06 a.m. Sunday.
Neighbors immediately took to social media following the kidnapping, but what can you do now to help?
WJXT crime and safety expert Ken Jefferson, an award-winning retired police officer, weighed in on how the public can help in the search.
“Do not approach the child unless the child is alone and seems to be stranded. If the child is with an adult you don’t want to approach because you don’t know the mindset of the person with the child. It could be the wrong child, they [you] could be asking for trouble,” said Jefferson.
Jefferson, a 24-year veteran of the Jacksonville Police Department, has experience investigating cases similar to Kamille’s. He said the community and family can help in the search by posting Kamille’s pictures in neighborhoods and using social media to expand the search.
According to Jefferson, law enforcement manpower is limited, so the public’s help is needed when trying to solve cases.
“Every single officer that’s on a search for this child wants to find that child. Not to be a hero or anything like that. They are putting themselves in the predicament that the parent’s are in right now,” explained Jefferson.