Buffalo Police are offering new details surrounding an overnight Amber Alert.
The little girl at the center of it all, 4-year-old Mikeya Houston, was found safe around 10:00am Friday at a home on Academy Road in Buffalo.
Lieutenant Jeff Rinaldo says the girl wasn't harmed and she is back in the custody of family members.
Mikeya's mother, 23-year-old Mikesha Lawson, is accused of abducting her daughter Thursday afternoon around 3:50pm, after the girl got off the school bus at Best Street and Main. Investigators say Lawson lost complete custody of her daughter just hours before. Investigators did not say what led the courts to make that decision.
New York State issued an Amber Alert just before midnight on Thursday. A phone alert was sent out just before 1:00am on Friday. An Amber Alert is issued when the abducted individual is believed to be in grave danger, facing possible death.
When asked why there was such a delay between issuing the alert and the initial missing persons report, Lt. Rinaldo says a specific process needs to be followed and a full investigation carried out to ensure the system is not overused.
This is a breaking new story. We will update this with more information as it becomes available.
