A 7-year-old Center Grove girl is safe after police issued a statewide Amber Alert that she was abducted and in possible danger.
Greenwood police found the girl, 7-year-old Isabella Negri, with her mother at a dentist appointment Tuesday afternoon, a few hours after the alert had been issued.
The girl’s mother, Morgan Negri, took her out of North Grove Elementary School on Tuesday morning just before 11 a.m. The mother was listed as a custodial parent on school records, and all procedures and protocols were followed by the school, according to a statement from Center Grove schools.
But about a half hour later, the girl’s father came to the school with a court order, showing he had sole custody of the girl, the release said. The father called 911.
That morning, an emergency hearing had been conducted in Johnson County Superior Court 2. The mother did not show up, according to court records.
The court ruled that the child’s father should get sole custody, and that visitation for the mother would not be allowed, court records said. The divorce and custody case has been pending since May 2013, according to court records.
Police issued the Amber Alert at 2:20 p.m., saying the child was last seen around 10 a.m., and was believed to have been taken by Morgan Negri and was believed to be in extreme danger, according to police.
In order for an Amber Alert to be issued, the case must meet certain criteria, including that police have information on the suspect and the child must be in danger, Indiana State Police Sgt. John Perrine said. The state does not have a requirement for a certain amount of time to pass before an alert can be issued, he said.
At 2:40 p.m., the girl was found safe by Greenwood police at a dental office with her mother, Greenwood assistant police chief Matt Fillenwarth said.
The mother, in an interview with an Indianapolis television station, said she called police as soon as she got the Amber Alert to let them know where the girl was. In the interview, she said she called police so she would not be arrested.
Police continue investigating.
