Missing Arkansas Girl Found Alive in Tennessee
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iStockphoto/Thinkstock(MEMPHIS, Tenn.) — A 12-year-old Arkansas girl who was abducted by her adoptive brother after he allegedly killed their parents has been rescued unharmed, Memphis police said Sunday.
The Amber Alter for her safe return has been canceled.
Her adoptive brother, Antonio Whitlow, 33, is in police custody on two counts of capital murder charges, police said. His parents, Annette and Bobby Whitlow, both 65, were found dead in their Little Rock home Saturday afternoon, when Amber and Antonio disappeared.
The Little Rock police report says that Grady Carter found Annette Whitlow dead in the living room when he arrived at the couple’s home for a meeting. Police later found Bobby Whitlow dead in the kitchen.
Although police are not commenting on how the couple died, the report indicates that a knife or other cutting instrument was involved in the crime.
An Amber Alert was issued for the girl and police said that they feared her life was in danger.
Memphis police found Antonio and Amber at 10 p.m. Saturday near Red Birds Stadium, police spokeswoman Alyssa Moore told ABCNews.com. They arrested Antonio on a, outstanding warrant for aggravated assault.
Antonio Whitlow and Amber are back in Arkansas on Sunday, according to a Little Rock police spokeswoman Cassandra Davis. Antonio was extradited on murder charges, and Amber is with the state Department of Human Services until relatives can get custody of her.
Davis said she didn’t know whether those relatives are part of Amber’s adoptive family or her biological family.
According to Bobby Whitlow’s Twitter account, he was a Vietnam War Veteran who oversaw the Warriors of Christ ministry. He referred to his wife, Annette, as a “prophetess” and often tweeted religious proverbs to his nine followers.
His last tweet was, “The rod and reproof give wisdom, but a child who gets his own way brings shame to his mother. Proverbs 29:15.”
The double homicide and abduction shook the Whitlow’s Little Rock neighborhood.
“His daughter was the same age as my grandson and they would always come down, my grandson would always come down and play with them,” Edgar Miller, a family friend, told KATV, ABC’s affiliate in Arkansas.
He said the neighborhood will miss the deceased couple.
“It’s a hurting thing,” said Miller. “We’re going to suffer a great loss.”
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