Child Safe, Mom Dead After Kidnapping: Cops

Police are searching for the 10-month-old's father
By Luke Roney,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 10, 2021 4:16 PM CST
Child Safe, Mom Dead After Kidnapping: Cops
Police released this image of Maes.   (Peoria Police)

Authorities in Arizona on Wednesday were looking for a man who allegedly abducted his 10-month-old son Tuesday night. The boy was found safe early Wednesday, the Arizona Republic reports. But his mother, 30-year-old Brittany Martie, died of injuries she sustained during the incident. Police say that Martie was loading her son, Abel Maes, into a minivan in Peoria when Eric Maes, 30, jumped into the vehicle and drove away with Martie still holding onto the van, per Fox10. She was thrown from the vehicle and taken to a hospital, where she died during surgery, AZ Family reports. At some point, Maes reportedly ditched the vehicle in Phoenix—about 14 miles south of Peoria—and was seen running with Abel.

Responders with the Phoenix Fire Department found the boy uninjured around 1am after receiving a report of an abandoned child. “We have one side of a story, but a very short part of a story," a Peoria police spokeswoman tells AZ Family. "We don't really know why everyone was in this area. And we don't know why specifically Eric was in this area, so we'd really like to talk to him." Police say that Maes, who is a non-custodial parent, is to be considered armed and dangerous and ask anyone with information about his whereabouts to call 623-773-8958. (More abduction stories.)

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