Peoria police provide update on alleged kidnapping of 2-year-old girl found safe

PEORIA, AZ (AZFamily) — Peoria police released details after a 2-year-old girl who they said was kidnapped by her non-custodial parent Saturday was found safe the next day.

Kirby Carr, 2, is safe and sound, and his father, Kevin Carr, 52, is in custody.

Shortly after noon Saturday, Peoria Police responded to a domestic trouble call near Lake Pleasant Parkway and Speckled Gecko Drive, just north of Deer Valley Road. Officers arrived and learned that Kevin Carr was there for a supervised visit with his 2-year-old daughter Kirby when he took off with Kirby. Kevin had no parental rights to Kirby.

Police Chief Thomas Intrieri said Kevin Carr was found thanks to a very accurate description of his vehicle and the work of several law enforcement agencies.

The two men were found about an hour east of Albuquerque, New Mexico, on their way to Amarillo, Texas, police said. They were located on Sunday around 1:30 p.m. with the help of local authorities.

Kevin Carr was taken into custody without incident. Kirby remained unharmed and was picked up in New Mexico by her mother.

Intrieri said it was too early to determine motive and an investigation was underway.

No AMBER Alert was sent in this case, but Intrieri did not explain why. The following criteria must be met for an AMBER Alert to be issued, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

• Law enforcement reasonably believes a kidnapping has occurred.
• Law enforcement believes the child is in imminent danger of serious injury or death.
• There is enough descriptive information about the victim and the abduction that law enforcement can issue an AMBER Alert to help locate the child.
• The kidnapping concerns a child aged 17 or younger.
• The child's name and other critical data elements, including the child abduction indicator, were entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system.

Kevin Carr was arrested for aggravated drunk driving last September while in possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia. Kirby was in his custody at the time.

“To me, operating a vehicle under the influence with a child creates an imminent threat,” Intrieri said.

Arizona DPS said the father and daughter were found while authorities were reviewing a second AMBER Alert request.

Intrieri said an AMBER Alert could have been effective, but they were able to work with multiple agencies to effectively track Kevin Carr.

“I think we had all the elements in accordance with the law for (an AMBER alert) to be an effective tool,” he said. “But it also shows how creative and ingenious we were in using other investigative resources and in partnership with the FBI, we were able to find them regardless.”

Kevin Carr is being held in New Mexico awaiting extradition.

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