Who is Kaila Spires? 2 Georgia girls found safe hours after Amber Alert was issued as mother charged

Publish date: 2024-04-10

COLUMBUS, GEORGIA: Hours after an Amber Alert was issued for two girls abducted from a Burger King in , the children have been found safe and their mother Kaila Spires has been charged with kidnapping.

On Sunday, October 15, an Amber Alert was issued by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children after 11-year-old Kylie Horne, and four-year-old Kylann Harper, were last spotted at around 11.50 am at the restaurant on Veterans Parkway in Columbus, reports .

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A woman named Mikaela Harrell was also named suspect along with Spires in the abduction case. "Kylie and Kylann are believed to be in extreme danger," read the alert that suggested the children were allegedly traveling with Harrell and may have changed the vehicle they were in.

On Monday, October 16, the Columbus Police Department shared an update on the case hours after the Amber Alert was issued as they stated that both Horne and Harper had been located safely in the area of South Georgia at approximately 11.30 am.

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Authorities further explained in their news release that "detectives quickly initiated their investigation and gathered information, including a detailed vehicle description" after they responded to a call informing the abduction on Sunday, October 15, at around 12.45 am.

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Authorities updated that the investigation remains ongoing and that "charges could be forthcoming for those involved in the abduction."

The department later shared on X (formerly known as Twitter) and Facebook that Spires, the mother of the two children had been arrested in Tift County, Georgia.

The 39-year-old woman has been charged with two counts of kidnapping.

For the "support and assistance" in the case, the Columbus Georgia Police Department thanked the US Marshal's Office, Georgia State Patrol, and Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

"Spires will be extradited to Columbus, GA, in the near future, with a court date to be determined at a later time," read the update. 

The mother of the two young girls has "at least one previous criminal conviction, a burglary charge that included breaking and entering at a residential home," according to the New York Post.

However, the connection between Harrell and the children remains unclear. She has not been charged in the abduction case.

Between August 2007 and August 2016, Harrell was on parole and was previously convicted of possession of methamphetamine, as per the outlet.

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