A nine-year-old B.C. girl who was the subject of an Amber Alert in Washington state is now “safe and in protective custody,” police say.
Police in Bellingham, Wash., also said they have a female in custody.
New Westminster Police say Makayla Estrada-Weber had a custody visit with her mother on Sunday before they received reports that she went missing.
It is believed 48-year-old Wilma Estrada, a Vancouver resident, entered the U.S. with the child via the Pacific Highway Border Crossing.
Officers surrounded a Bellingham motel where Estrada’s car was found but they couldn’t move in until they received the required paperwork from Canadian officials.
After more than an hour at the motel police discovered the mother and daughter were actually inside a nearby church.
New Westminster Police say the child was safely removed and transported to the border where their officers, along with workers from the Ministry of Child and Family Development, coordinated her safe return.
Wilma Estrada remains in the custody of U.S. authorities and the New Westminster Police Major Crime Unit continues to investigate.
– With files from The Canadian Press