TERRE HAUTE —
A Terre Haute boy abducted Tuesday has been recovered unharmed, and the two suspects in his abduction are in police custody.
John M. Johnson-Christian, 4, was found by police Thursday afternoon in Pikeville, Ky., after being missing for more than 48 hours.
Suspects Nicholas Runyon, 24, and April Bell, 28, were taken into custody after police located a white minivan matching the description of their vehicle. Police found the van located at the Brookshire Inn on Cassidy Boulevard in Pikeville, Ky., along U.S. 23.
The child was last seen by his mother on Tuesday morning when he was picked up by Runyon and Bell to be taken to a child’s birthday party.
Terre Haute Police have said that the birthday party was a ruse used by Runyon and Bell to get the child away from his mother.
Earlier Thursday, Pennsylvania State Police confirmed that they had joined a multitude of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies searching for an abducted Terre Haute boy.
A Missing and Endangered Person Advisory was issued in the eastern state, said Sgt. Anthony Minetta of the Pennsylvania State Police. As of Thursday morning, the last known route of the suspected abductors took them eastbound from Terre Haute along Interstate 70 into Pennsylvania.
“We’ve hit the entire I-70 corridor,” Minetta said of the public notification effort.
Police have said the couple lied about taking the 4-year-old boy to a birthday party for Bell’s child in order to get the boy away from his mother, who had a prior relationship with Runyon.
Arrest warrants for Bell and Runyon were issued Wednesday afternoon in Vigo Superior Court 6. Richardson said that the FBI was also joining the search for the child.
When Terre Haute Police began the search for Johnson-Christian, they were able to trace Bell’s cell phone to a wooded area along I-70. Police later learned that a stolen bank card belonging to Bell’s mother had been used in Washington, Pa., which is along I-70 in western Pennsylvania.
Check back to www.tribstar.com for more updates.
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