FORT LAUDERDALE, FLA. (WSVN) - A man and a woman were arrested and are now facing charges after they abducted their 8-month-old daughter, who was not in their custody.
7News cameras captured Jacob Howard and Arys Martinez in court, Thursday afternoon.
A woman provided an update about the infant, Amelia Martinez, to Broward County Circuit Judge Hope Tieman Bristol.
“Judge, I just want to add that one of the good things is that we were able to place the child with the former foster parents, who saw the information on the news and contacted ChildNet to welcome the child back into their home,” she said.
Tieman Bristol ruled on two emergency motions to move Amelia into the state’s custody and to strip Howard from the little contact he had with his daughter.
“It’s clear that the father is in violation of a court order. His visits are no contact. He’s legally not the father any longer since this court entered a final judgment terminating his parental rights,” said the judge. “As for the emergency motion to modify placement, based upon what’s contained in this motion as well, this court has some serious concerns about the grandmother’s ability to exercise protective capacity and protect this child, so I’m going to grant the department’s motion for modification of placement.”
Amelia’s biological parents had their parental rights stripped away a week before the incident, but Howard, also 34, was allowed visitation.
Authorities said Arys was desperate to see her daughter, even going as far as threatening her own mother on Monday. At that time, Amelia’s grandmother had care of the baby.
Court documents state Arys took her for several hours before giving her back.
On Tuesday, investigators said, Arys threatened Howard, saying she’d have him arrested if she didn’t get her daughter back.
That’s what authorities believe Howard picked up Amelia from a day care center near the 4900 block of Southwest 148th Avenue in Davie, Tuesday afternoon, and turned the child over the Arys.
After an AMBER Alert was issued for Amelia on Wednesday, a witness called detectives and reported he had seen mother and child the night before at a Holiday Inn in Miami.
According to the witness, Arys had car trouble and hitched a ride with him back to her home in Pembroke Pines.
Later it was revealed that Arys told detectives that she was planning to go to the airport and take her daughter to Spain.
Wednesday afternoon, a SWAT team members took over the Pembroke Pines neighborhood where Arys lives and took her into custody.
The infant was taken to the hospital, where doctors looked her over.
In court Thursday, the woman who provided the update shared what doctors discovered.
“There’s very disturbing news: the child is presumptive positive for cocaine and fentanyl,” she said.
Martinez was booked overnight into the Broward County Jail. She faces charges of kidnapping a minor under 13 and aggravated child abuse.
Howard is being charged for interfering with the custody of a minor. He is being held without bond due to a previous violation of his probation.
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