A

“frantic”

mother residing in Illinois contacted 911 to report that her car had been stolen with her 4-year-old daughter inside, per Law & Crime. Princess Ilunga, 37, reportedly made the emergency call around 6 a.m. on January 26. Authorities issued an Amber Alert for the missing child, prompting a desperate 9-hour search. 

However, it was later revealed that the girl had been at home the whole time. Ilunga is now facing charges for filing a false report to police. According to police in Rock Island, the woman told a 911 operator that she had left her car running in front of her house. She said she left her daughter in the back seat, and when she returned, the vehicle was gone.

Authorities responded quickly and found the car, unoccupied, just a few blocks away about 15 minutes later. The Rock Island Police Department promptly shared the girl’s photo in a post that garnered over 40,000 shares. Illinois State Police issued a statewide Amber Alert. They located the girl in an alley close to her home shortly before 3 p.m. on the day she was reported missing.

Authorities Determined The Child Was Never Missing

Following an investigation, authorities determined that the girl was never missing and was present in the home when the police initially questioned the family, body camera footage revealed. He noted that Ilunga claimed the girl was another daughter and instructed her other children to refer to her by her Swahili name. According to the police chief, Ilunga pointed at the girl, saying she

“looks just like her sister.”

According to McCloud, after a police detective stationed outside the home returned to the station, Ilunga allegedly took her daughter to the nearby alley. She was later

“found”

by two women. Ilunga’s was arrested on January 30  in Johnson County, Wisconsin, located about 200 miles from Rock Island, outside of Milwaukee. Ilunga was taken into custody and is now awaiting extradition back to Illinois.

#Clique, what are your thoughts?