Missing girl found in East Austin

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Around 9 a.m. Friday, a maintainance man at Chalmers Court Apartments in East Austin called in a suspicious vehicle. Officers ran the tags on their way to the scene discovering an Amber Alert for a 6-year-old girl taken from Comal County. It was that call that eventually led to Austin Police Department finding the girl safe. "He's a hero and he's actually solved this story," said Chalmer Court Property manager Priscilla Remirez.

After the first call, another civilian spotted the car again. Police stopped the driver, who led them to the girl and her mother. The mother is suspected of kidnapping the child from the grandmother who also had custody. Police found the girl and the suspect in a home on the 1700 block of Willow St. in East Austin. The homeowner had no ties to the suspect or the child. Instead, the homeowner was just trying to help people in need.

"They were totally unaware of the Amber Alert,” said Sgt. Jeff Slater with the Austin Police Department. “The actual owner of the household said he had met her last night with the child, and she said she was homeless, and it was cold, and she needed someplace to stay. So, he invited her to stay with him and he provided food and shelter for them."

The Austin Police Department is working closely with Comal County authorities. The suspect, Tonya Martin, is charged with aggrevated assault with a deadly weapon for the attack on her mother but kidnapping charges will not be filed since Martin and her mother shared custody of the child. She is being held on a $200,00 bond in Comal County. The little girl will be held with Child Protective Services in Austin until it is decided whether or not to send her back to family members.