FAIRMONT — A 20-month-old child abducted from Virginia has been found in Fairmont, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
Derrick Baker, 42, of Fairmont, and the child’s 17-year-old mother were arrested Wednesday morning at a residence on Liberia Street by deputy U.S. marshals, sheriff’s deputies and Fairmont police, according to a statement from the U.S. Marshals Service.
The child, who was abducted from near Richmond, Virginia, is in the custody of the Robeson County Department of Social Services.
According to Bryan Konig, with the U.S. Marshals Service Violent Fugitive Task Force, Baker is the father of the 17-year-old. The child had been in the legal custody of the teen’s mother when the child was abducted on June 12, Konig said.
Baker and the child’s mother, who is from Henrico, Virginia, have been jailed and are awaiting extradition to Henrico, the statement said. The mother’s name was not released because 17-year-olds are considered minors in Virginia.
“The safe and swift recovery of abducted children, and the apprehension of those responsible for such egregious crimes, will remain the top priority of the U.S. Marshals Service,” said Scott J. Parker, U.S. marshal for the Eastern District of North Carolina.
The investigation involved the Henrico County Police Department, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the U.S. Marshals Service in the Eastern District of Virginia and the Eastern District of North Carolina, the Robeson County Sheriff’s Office, and the Fairmont Police Department. Additional assistance was provided by Marshals Service task force officers from the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office, Fayetteville Police Department and the North Carolina Department of Public Safety.
“The interagency cooperation that led to the conclusion of this investigation demonstrates and highlights what can be accomplished when federal, state and local law enforcement agencies work together in the pursuit of justice for the innocent,” Parker said.
Through a partnership with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the U.S. Marshals Service has recovered more than 600 missing children.
