An Amber Alert was de-activated across Southern California Monday after a woman who reportedly kidnapped her three boys 800 miles away in Albuquerque turned herself in at a Lancaster fire station.
Laria Walker-Anderson, 28, arrived at about 8:30 p.m. Sunday with her three boys at Los Angeles County Fire Station 130, at 44558 North 40th Street West, said fire department Dispatch Supervisor Ed Pickett.
They walked into the fire station after family members convinced the mother to safely surrender to authorities, sheriff’s officials said.
Sheriff’s deputies took the family to the Lancaster Sheriff’s Station where they were being interviewed and deputies were in contact with New Mexico authorities in an ongoing investigation, said Sgt. Brendan Kinsella.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office had yet to determine whether a crime was committed and if any charges will be filed against Walker-Anderson, sheriff’s officials said.
The mother was cooperative and as of 11:30 p.m. Sunday, no charges had been filed and she was not under arrest, officials said. The Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services sent staff to assess the health and safety of the children and await a determination by New Mexico authorities whether they should take custody of the children.
Cellphones in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties went off with alarms at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday, some 7 hours after the mother kidnapped her children in Albuquerque.
That is an 11-1/2 hour car trip non-stop, across half of New Mexico, and all of Arizona and California.
Walker-Anderson was believed to have taken the boys in a silver 2009 Kia Spectra with New Mexico license plates AAYR80. The car was found abandoned at about 5:10 p.m. on Ramona Avenue south of Foothill Boulevard in LaVerne, according to authorities there.
Details about how Walker-Anderson got from LaVerne to Lancaster without the car were not available.
Albuquerque news station KOB-TV reported Walker-Anderson made threats to the boys’ father that she would kill the boys and herself.
The boys were identified as Lloyd Wyatt, 9, Lakai Wyatt, 8 and Lexington Wyatt, 6.
The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office said Walker-Anderson had a loaded gun in her possession.
— City News Service
