According to a public information release from Chief Deputy John Stevens of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS), the USMS and the Smyrna Police Department, with assistance from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, recovered a child who was allegedly kidnapped in Smyrna in 2021.

The child, four years old at the time, had been taken by her noncustodial biological mother and the mother’s boyfriend during a supervised visit. The child’s father is the custodial parent.

After the alleged abduction, the Smyrna Police Department requested the help of the U.S. Marshall’s Service.

The USMS determined that the child had been taken to the Mexican state of San Luisi Potosi, which is south of Monterrey and north of Mexico City.

Mexican authorities arrested the two alleged kidnappers on July 15 in the city of Rioverde. On July 16, the child was reunited with her father, the custodial parent.

[The Cobb County Courier has a policy of withholding or redacting the name of suspects unless and until the person is convicted in a court of law or enters a plea of guilty. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty, and the internet has no effective way of removing reports of arrest if the person is exonerated. We do make exceptions in high-profile cases or charges against public officials where exoneration is likely to be as widely publicized as the initial arrest]

U.S. Marshal Thomas Brown said, “The United States Marshals Service takes our mission very seriously. We will never give up our search. When our state and local partners reach out for assistance, we are eager to answer the call. Helping the community and assisting the Smyrna Police is an honor. From the moment we took the case, we knew we would successfully rescue the child and bring the wrongdoers to justice. On July 15^th, that day arrived. The U.S. Marshals will never stop. This young victim is now back where she belongs, in the arms of her father. The fugitives are where they belong, behind bars, awaiting their day in court.”

U.S. Marshals Service Southeastern Regional Fugitive Task Force Commander Jim Joyner said, “Every now and then, we get to replace the word CAPTURED at the end of an investigation with the word RECOVERED. Both words are hard-earned, but RECOVERED holds a special meaning for all of us. We are pleased and proud that we were able to be a part of the team that made this happen.”

According to the public information release:

The U.S. Marshals Service is the primary federal agency charged with conducting missing child recovery and fugitive investigations. The U.S. Marshals Service regularly works in concert with other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies to seek out and arrest violent fugitives and sex offenders. The U.S. Marshals Service has established task forces throughout the nation, and professional relationships worldwide, to facilitate the apprehension of fugitives.