A couple have been reunited with their three-year-old daughter after she vanished from their home, along with a stranger they had taken in.
Three-year-old Kehlani Rogers disappeared from her home in Avondale, Arizona, late on Friday night (February 20). She was last seen at around 11.30pm, but by the time her parents woke up the next morning, she was gone — and so was a woman they had been allowing to stay at the house.
The search for the toddler continued overnight as officers followed leads and checked for any signs that she had turned up elsewhere, but no other agencies or medical facilities reported seeing her.
Kehlani was described as being ‘last seen in pink pyjamas’.
Investigators focused closely on the adult who vanished at the same time — a woman the family reportedly knew only as ‘Merena’.
In a police appeal, the woman was described as a ’30-year-old white female… last seen wearing a white top and purple or pink pants.’
Court records reviewed by 12 News state that Kehlani’s parents — who have not been publicly identified — had agreed to let the woman stay with them because she needed a place to sleep, despite being a stranger to the family.
As the investigation developed, a tip received on Saturday shifted attention firmly onto the woman as the key person of interest in Kehlani’s disappearance.
Police were also told by a member of the public that earlier that day she had driven a woman and a child, dropping them off in the City of Maricopa. The witness said she later learned the adult intended to travel with the child to California by train.
Detectives then obtained surveillance footage in the Maricopa area that appeared to show the woman still with Kehlani. On Sunday morning, a further report led officers to a gas station in Phoenix, where they located both of them.
Kehlani was ‘found safe and in good health’.
According to the court paperwork, the suspect — identified as Noriega — initially told officers she was Kehlani’s mother, before later backtracking.
She then said she had ‘made a mistake’.
Documents also state she ‘denied having any plan for the child after she took her and denied intent to sell or harm the child’, according to People.
Avondale Police later identified the woman as Marina Noriega and confirmed she had been taken into custody. The department said:
“Investigators worked tirelessly through the night, following up on numerous tips.
“Earlier this morning, a community member reported a possible sighting near 27th Avenue and Indian School Road in Phoenix. Phoenix Police responded and located Kehlani Rogers and Marina Noriega.
“Kehlani is in good health and do not believe that she was harmed during this ordeal. Noriega is now in the custody of Avondale Police detectives and will be booked into the Maricopa County Jail system on charges related to this incident.”