A Pevely baby who had been missing since Monday (April 16) was found in Fenton, along with her father, authorities reported.
At 1 p.m. today (April 17), officers were en route to the Pevely Police Department with the baby and her father, Dalton Gardner, 29, of Cedar Hill, Detective Sgt. Larry Miller.
He said he believes 7-month-old Aubrey Gardner was unharmed.
The baby was last seen at 8 p.m. Monday night, when Gardner, who does not have custody of Aubrey, left a family member’s Hillsboro home with the baby, Pevely Police reported.
Miller said police were able to find Gardner and the baby after talking with her mother, who lives in Pevely.
“An FBI agent and an officer were talking to the mother when she mentioned that he had a friend in Fenton. They (officers) went there, and bam, there they were,” Miller said.
Pevely Police issued an endangered person advisory for the baby this morning, and police were on the lookout for Gardner, who reportedly was driving the mother’s white Chevrolet Cruze.
Police Chief Tony Moutray said police did not believe the baby was in danger but were concerned Gardner could not take care of the child properly.
The mother told police the incident began when Gardner visited her and the child on Sunday night (April 15) at her home in the 900 block of Peggy Drive. She said that at about 7:30 a.m. the next day, after Gardner stayed the night, she was tired but thinks he mentioned plans to go to a gas station. She did not remember whether she told him it was OK to take her car, Moutray said.
“She said she’s been ill and sleeping a lot,” he said.
The mother said she went to back to sleep and woke up about 8 p.m. that evening, Moutray said.
“That’s when she realized the baby was missing,” he said.
The mother called Gardner’s sister, who said Gardner had been there. Police also spoke with his sister, Moutray said.
The sister told police that Gardner said, “Mommy said it was time to go home,” and they left.
Moutray said he had six Pevely Police officers working on the case, along with three officers from the FBI, before the baby was found.