An abducted 8-year-old Manteca girl was found on a Chicago-bound Amtrak train Wednesday through the long arm of the Lathrop Police Services. 

Deputy Lt. James Hood said the girl was found after being allegedly abducted on the Fourth of July weekend by her 53-year-old mother who had traveled to Manteca from Michigan for a visit after the 60-year-old dad had received a court’s temporary custody order for the girl.

Lt. Hood said that once his department had confirmed that the court order was valid, Sheriff Steve Moore, Lathrop Chief Danelle Hohe and a detachment of deputies went to work to find the youngster.  He said that the sheriff provided additional resources to the Lathrop Police Services department to probe  the girl’s disappearance – working tirelessly for days.   Airlines were checked in searching  for her with no luck, but a tip suggested that she could be on a train heading east.

Hood said the Amtrak police located the mother, the girl and a 17-year-old half-brother about an hour and a half out of Chicago and detained the trio.  Because of the underage brother, officers did not take the mother into custody, he said, and an arrest warrant would be issued immediately for her arrest.

The dad and his daughter were reunited on Wednesday and seemed very happy to be back together, Hood said, and would returning to Manteca.