California boy missing after mom’s slaying found safe in Las Vegas
A 2-year-old California boy who disappeared after his mother was slain has been found safe in Las Vegas, authorities said.
The California Highway Patrol issued an Amber Alert on Monday evening for Celestine Stoot III after the Riverside County, California, Sheriff’s Department said the toddler was reported missing from a Lakeland Village home where his mother, Natasha Denise Barlow, 43, of San Jacinto, was found dead.
The sheriff’s department described Barlow’s death as a homicide. Investigators also said they were searching for Stoot and his father, Celestine John Stoot Jr., 42. It said the elder Stoot was believed to have fled the area with his son in a charcoal grey 2020 Kia Optima.
On Wednesday morning, the sheriff’s department said the child and his father were both found alive in Las Vegas Tuesday evening. The child was “unharmed and law enforcement was in the process of reuniting him with his family,” authorities said.
“Suspect Stoot will be booked into the Clark County jail pending his extradition to Riverside County,” the sheriff’s department said.
Details of the arrest and recovery of the child were not immediately released.
This is a developing story. Please check back for details.
Contact Glenn Puit by email at gpuit@reviewjournal.com. Follow @GlennatRJ on Twitter.
