Parents On The Run After Allegedly Abducting 8 Day Old Newborn
Officials are on the lookout for a North Carolina couple accused of kidnapping their own newborn who was only eight days old.
An Amber Alert was issued for Jaxton Brown, who was born on Feb. 18, by the Chapel Hill Police Department on Feb. 26. He was last seen three days earlier at a Red Roof Inn on Fordham Boulevard, but has since been found safe and unharmed.
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Justin Brown and Destinee Cothran allegedly fled with their newborn in a white 1997 Mercury Mystique, prompting the Amber Alert. Chapel Hill Police told WRAL that Jaxton could be in danger, but did not specify why.
According to WRAL, Brown, 29, and Cothran, 26, allegedly kidnapped Jaxton after the Department of Social Services (DSS) issued a court order for custody. Concerns were reportedly raised about the baby's well-being, leading to a 911 call days after Jaxton's birth. The reporting party, believed to be a DSS worker, informed authorities that the couple had active warrants and was heading towards Chapel Hill Pediatrics. Police were enlisted to assist in locating the infant.
Their vehicle was reportedly discovered at a Big Lots in Durham, North Carolina. Inside the vehicle, authorities found food, clothing, a car seat base, and baby blankets.
In an update on Monday, Cothran and Brown handed the baby to the police but subsequently fled into a nearby wooded area. The search for the couple is ongoing.
(Photo : Chapel Hill, Justin Brown)
No charges have been filed against Cothran and Brown specifically related to the incident. Notably, the outstanding warrants are not Chapel Hill-based, according to WRAL.
Both parents have a history of legal issues. Cothran received a civil summons on Feb. 14 from the Orange County Department of Social Services for allegedly failing to adequately care for her three other children; ages 3, 5, and 6 years old. Both Cothran and Brown have faced previous drug charges and convictions, and Brown has a record that includes multiple DWI charges and an assault charge in 2015 involving a past girlfriend.
