12-Year-Old Girl Who Went Missing From Pennsylvania Found Safe In Another State; Mom Arrested

A Pennsylvania woman who reported her 12-year-old daughter missing is now in custody over the girl's disappearance. The child was later found safe.

The missing daughter, identified as Aylee Hammonds, was found unharmed in Ohio, the Allegheny County Police Department said.

Aylee's mother, Desmonique Hammonds, reported the 12-year-old girl missing Friday morning. She told officers her daughter ran away from their Penn Hills home but did not provide more details about the girl's disappearance, reported WPXI.

"Hammonds did not provide many details. A check of the residence by Penn Hills Police on Saturday, April 1, 2023, did not reveal her whereabouts," the police department said.

The Allegheny County Child Abduction Response Team joined the search for Aylee. Officers also urged the public to inform authorities if they have any information about her whereabouts.

"Alyee is a Black female described as 5 feet tall, 100 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. She was last seen on March 30, 2023 at 8 PM at a residence in the 200 block of Arbor Lane in Penn Hills," the police department said Saturday. "Police believe this child may be at special risk of harm or injury."

Police wanted to question Desmonique about the disappearance of Aylee Hammonds but the mother fled her residence Saturday afternoon in a 2002 White Mercedes Benz C240 sedan, which had Ohio Registration JBM-9851.

Police located the vehicle and engaged in a pursuit but lost Desmonique on the Hulton Bridge in Harmar Township, WTAE-TV Pittsburgh reported. Desmonique was eventually taken into custody from Newport, officers said Saturday night.

Alyee was not with her mother at the time but the girl was found safe and unharmed in the Ohio area.

A similar incident was reported last December after a 5-year-old girl went missing in South Carolina. The child, Aspen Jeter, had been missing since Thanksgiving Day, which was the same day her mother, Crystal Jumper, was found fatally shot when officials conducted a welfare check at their home. Aspen was eventually located with her father, Antar Jeter, 47, in Virginia on Dec. 9. The father was charged with Crystal's murder.