Kason Thomas was found in the stolen Honda Accord near a Papa John’s location hours after 24-year-old Nalah Jackson was arrested in Indianapolis, still wearing the same clothes as when he was taken on Monday, police said.
Kason and his brother Kyair were the subjects of an AMBER Alert issued on Monday after the 2010 Honda Accord they were in was stolen.
Columbus police announced Tuesday afternoon kidnapping charges had been filed against Jackson in connection to the AMBER Alert. She was arrested Thursday afternoon after police received several calls to their tip line from Indiana.
Columbus Deputy Chief Smith Weir said that the arrest came after Columbus police received several calls from Indiana saying that they thought they had spotted Jackson, and that detectives were able to corroborate some of that information.
During the call, Weir said that Columbus police asked Indianapolis Metropolitan Police to detain the person that the callers had described, which they reported had been done at around 2 p.m. Law enforcement then confirmed it was Jackson using fingerprints.
Police said that Jackson was being interrogated and that detectives from Columbus were on the way to Indianapolis.
When asked about the large search parties that have been organized in response to the AMBER Alert, Bryant said that it never hurts when people are involved in trying to find a missing child, adding, “we appreciate the community’s efforts, we appreciate all law enforcement efforts to find Kasan. So, we would never say that you shouldn’t convene a search party because they could provide valuable information.”
A passenger at the Dayton International Airport found Kyair Thomas in the economy lot around 4:15 a.m. Tuesday.
Days before the AMBER Alert was issued Jackson went to a Riverside apartment to try and see her kids.
Riverside police were called to a Harshman Road apartment around 11:25 p.m. Dec. 15 after a man reported Jackson, his ex-girlfriend, punched him, according to an incident report.
The man said Jackson wore a trench coat with only her underwear underneath it.
The man told officers Jackson wanted to see their daughters and then tried to force her way into the apartment when he said they weren’t there, according to the report.
He said “he was able to block her from coming in, but in the process, she hit him in on the side of his face multiple times,” the report read.
He reportedly saw Jackson sitting on a bench outside after, but she was gone when police arrived. He told police he was not sure if Jackson came to the apartment on foot or if she was in a vehicle, according to the report. He did not know where she was staying or have a way to contact her.
He said Jackson does not have custody of their daughters, according to the report.
Police checked the area but could not find Jackson. A warrant was issued for Jackson’s arrest for domestic violence in Montgomery County Municipal Court East Division.
The search for Jackson and Kason Thomas continued Wednesday. A be on the lookout alert, or BOLO, for Jackson and the stolen black 2010 Honda Accord was issued in Kentucky, Indiana, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. AMBER Alert notices were also posted on electronic signs along Ohio roads.
The Columbus Dispatch reported that Columbus police had two teams of detectives — 12 in total — searching for Kason in Dayton, along with the FBI, Ohio State Highway Patrol and Dayton police.
Anyone with information that could be related to the investigation should call the Columbus Police tip line at 614-645-4701, the FBI tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI or 911.
Jackson was seen in Huber Heights early Tuesday morning at a gas station. Surveillance video showed her talking to an employee and asking for money, according to a Columbus Division of Police Facebook post. She was still driving the stolen Honda Accord at that time.
Columbus Deputy Chief Smith Weir said during a Tuesday press conference the Huber Heights sighting took place before Kyair Thomas was left at the airport.
The infant was wrapped in a blanket and in a car seat when the passenger found him, Linda Hughes, City of Dayton air service manager, said. Butler Twp. medics examined Kyair Thomas and he appeared to be in good health.
The twins’ mother, Wilhelmina Barnett, as well as other family and friends searched the Dayton area Tuesday hoping to find Kason Thomas.
“I just want to let Kason know we’re looking for him,” Barnett said on Tuesday.
