CHELYAN, WV (WCMH/ WKYC) – A nationwide manhunt for a man accused of kidnapping a 13-year-old girl and her 22-day-old baby came to an end Saturday when the three were found in a rural area of West Virginia.
The Madison County Sheriff tells WKYC that 13-year-old Katherine Derleth and her three-week-old son Christopher are safely in police custody.
An Amber Alert was issued when the two children went missing on Sunday.
Katherine’s stepfather, Chris Derleth, is also in custody.
Madison County Investigators say they received tips of reported sightings and focused their search on West Virginia and the east coast.
Kanawha County Dispatchers told WOWK-TV they received a report that Derleth’s credit card had been used around 1:46pm Friday. Deputies believe Derleth is equipped with tents, sleeping bags and other goods and may be hiding out in a campground, national forest, or a rural wooded area, that would allow for free or inexpensive primitive camping
