Abducted Iowa 11-year-old found 360 miles away at Indiana gas station

A child kidnapped in Iowa on Sunday was found safe the next morning at a gas station in Indiana, nearly 360 miles away.

The unidentified 11-year-old was recovered from Iowa City on Sunday and police concluded the child was taken by a non-custodial parent who attempted to take the child back to the East Coast. according to WTR.

Authorities said they believed the mother was traveling through Indiana and alerted Indiana State Police around 2 a.m. Monday.

Indiana State Police immediately began searching and identified a suspect vehicle, a gray 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix, at a gas station on Interstate 65 about 40 minutes later. CBS 2 Iowa reports.

Officers then found the child safely in the car with two adults.

Ronique Pittman, 36, was subsequently taken into custody on a child abduction warrant out of Iowa.

She has since been charged in Johnson County with violating a custodial order by a family member. The Daily Iowan reports this.

A criminal complaint obtained by CBS 2 Iowa shows that Pittman was deprived of her parental rights on May 5, 2022.

Authorities said she told the child’s father that she planned to take the child to North Carolina, where she lives.

The 11-year-old was safely taken into custody by Indiana State Police, before going to the Department of Child Services to arrange a reunification with the custodial parent.