Kidnapped 5-Year-Old Girl Found Safe in Los Angeles County, Father Arrested

A 5-year-old girl who was allegedly abducted by her father in Carson City, Nevada, has been found safe in the Antelope Valley area of Los Angeles County, authorities announced Tuesday. The suspect, 41-year-old Christopher Meithof, was arrested shortly after the child was recovered.

The girl, Amaya Meithof, was taken on Sunday morning, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. An Amber Alert was issued, and investigators believed Meithof was driving a 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Their last known direction of travel was southbound toward Quartz Hill, California, near Lancaster.

At approximately 2:15 p.m. on June 1, a multi-jurisdictional investigation led the U.S.

Marshals Pacific Southwest Fugitive Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles Division, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Bureau to conduct a traffic stop in Palmdale, California. The vehicle was stopped, and Amaya was recovered unharmed.

"The child is safe and unharmed," sheriff's officials said. Meithof was arrested without incident and is being held at the LASD Palmdale station, pending extradition to Nevada.