Toddler taken from Randleman in stolen car found safe in Sampson County, officials say; 1 in custody

RANDOLPH COUNTY, N.C. (WGHP) — The missing 1-year-old girl who was the subject of an AMBER Alert on Wednesday morning has been found, according to the Randolph County Sheriff’s Office.

Randolph County officials say that around 8 a.m. Wednesday, they responded to a home on Hanner Road in Randleman about a kidnapping. A witness told officials they overheard an argument between two people. They then said they saw Tyler Ray Toodle, 26, leave the home in a black Honda Civic at a “high rate of speed” with the 1-year-old in a car seat in the backseat. Toodle is not the child’s father.

Then, around 11 a.m., in Sampson County, deputies were informed that the suspect car may have been spotted in the Mitchell Loop Road area. They were able to locate the vehicle on NC 24 near Roseboro.

A short chase ensued when the car failed to stop for deputies, but they deployed stop sticks and disabled the vehicle on Mitchell Loop Road. The car went off the road and stopped in a ditch.

EMS checked over the little girl and determined that she was not injured. Toodle was taken into custody without further incident and is in the custody of the Sampson County Sheriff’s Office while they work with the Randolph County authorities.

“The quick actions of our deputies, combined with coordination across county lines, brought this situation to a safe conclusion. We are thankful the child is unharmed and now in safe hands,” Captain Marcus Smith said.

Officials are working to bring the toddler back to be safely reunited with her mother.

Charges were sought against Toodle for felony kidnapping, felony larceny of a motor vehicle and misdemeanor driving with a revoked license.