Mother now charged with making false report that led to Amber Alert

UPDATE @ 7:40 p.m. (Jan. 30): Jessica Pickett, who police said told them her child was taken when someone stole her vehicle, is now charged with falsification.

An Amber Alert was issued in central Ohio today when Pickett told police her 4-year-old daughter, Janylia Fails, was in the vehicle left running in front of the home on North 4th Street, WBNS-10TV in Columbus reports.

According to authorities, Pickett told them her daughter was asleep in the backseat of the vehicle so it would be found faster.

Now, Franklin County Children Services has taken the child and two siblings, ages 5 and 2, into protective custody.

Police said they have arrested 22-year-old Bradley Stroud on a charge of grand theft auto.

UPDATE @ 11:54 p.m. (Jan. 30):

An Amber Alert was issued this morning in Columbus after a mother reported her child was sleeping in the back seat of her car when it was stolen, but police are telling WBNS-10TV in Columbus the girl apparently was never missing.

The alert was issued around 8:30 a.m. and was in effect nearly two hours before being canceled.

Authorities told the Columbus media outlet that 4-year-old Janylia Fails was found safe and unharmed; she had been with her aunt since the previous evening.

After police located the reported stolen vehicle, officers found the mother at her home near the Ohio State University campus. She was in the company of her daughter, according to the WBNS report.

A similar incident happened in Dayton in October 2015, when a man claimed he'd been shot during a carjacking and his grandson was in the car.

UPDATE @ 10:22 a.m. (Jan. 30):

Our partners at 10TV in Columbus report the 4-year-old girl has been found safe.

UPDATE @ 9:29 a.m. (Jan. 30):

Our CBS affiliate at 10TV WBNS in Columbus is reporting the vehicle has been located, however the girl is still missing.

INITIAL REPORT:

An Amber Alert has been issued after a car was reported stolen in Columbus with a 4-year-old child sleeping in the backseat.

WBNS in Columbus is reporting a 2004 silver or gray Chevy Impala was stolen near the Ohio State University’s campus this morning.

The Ohio license plate is GWF-9395 and the vehicle has damage to the passenger side bumper and rear quarter panel, according to the WBNS report.

The missing child’s name is Janylia Fails, described as a black female wearing a multi-colored, floral print winter coat and blue jeans.

If you spot Fails or the vehicle call 911.

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