The Hall County Sheriff's Office located missing 1-month-old child safe after 3-hour search.
Deputies responded to Gaines Mill Road shortly after 1PM to a report of a missing 1-month-old child. The mother reported that her friend 18 year old Stephanie Wilkerson, of Flowery Branch had took the child for a walk an hour earlier and had not returned.
Deputies began a search of the neighborhood with no success. The Hall County Sheriff's Office stepped up its search efforts and activated the Child is Missing Phone Alert and an Amber Alert.
The Hall County Sheriff’s Office and the Georgia State Patrol conducted an aerial search of the area along with K-9 units from Hall County.
At approximately 4:06 PM the child and Ms. Wilkerson was safely located in downtown Gainesville by deputies at the GAP (Girls Are Priority House) a juvenile assistance program.
It appears at this time there was a miscommunication between the mother and her friend as to the time frame she would have the baby.
The child was transported to the Northeast Georgia Medical Center for evaluation as a precautionary measure. This case will be turned over to Hall County DFACS for review.
Unrelated to this incident, Stephanie Wilkerson was arrested on a Bench Warrant issued by the Gainesville Municipal Court for failing to answer to 2 counts of shoplifting.
The incident remains under investigation by the Hall County Sheriff's Office.
1st Lieutenant Jeff Strickland
Uniform Patrol Division
Hall County Sheriff's Office