Family speaks out following the kidnapping of a 4-year-old from a Springfield house

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) - We continue to follow the latest on the AMBER Alert that went out this morning after the mother of a 4-year-old girl from Springfield took off with her, violating a custody agreement. The two were found quickly after the alert was issued.

Springfield Police told us a call came in around 8:30 a.m. this morning when the child went missing. An AMBER Alert was then sent out just after 11 a.m.

We’re looking into the importance of AMBER Alerts and how that played a role in bringing the 4-year-old girl back home to Springfield.

On Thursday, an AMBER Alert lit up the phone screens of thousands for a 4-year-old girl from Springfield. She was taken from her home in Indian Orchard by her mother who does not have legal custody of her.

“It’s her birthday and her mother came for her supervised visit, picked her up and took off,” said Donna Goncalves, the girl’s grandmother.

The grandmother of the young girl spoke out about the scary moment that played out on Thursday morning.

“We’ve gone through a lot with her mother, threatening to hurt her and herself,” expressed Goncalves. “We didn’t know what was going to happen to her.”

Springfield Police Public Information Officer Ryan Walsh shared the importance of AMBER Alerts during an incident like this.

“What really helps is the reach that it has, and people are taking it seriously,” said Walsh. “So, you have an amber alert go off and shortly thereafter the vehicle, the mom and the child were all located.”

To respect their privacy western mass news is not showing or revealing the identity of the 4-year-old. But state police located 32-year-old Brandee Arnold and her 4-year-old daughter in Berkshire County around noon Thursday.

“Part of the state where the mom was located, is actually in Albany’s Market so it’s not just your local market or state market you’re able to get these AMBER Alerts to reach beyond what your normal reach would be into different markets and that likely played some type of role in finding and locating the mom and child quicker than we would’ve been able to otherwise,” explained Walsh.

Walsh told us Springfield Police got a call around 8:30 a.m. that the girl was taken, but the AMBER Alert did not go out on most phones until after 11 a.m. State Police also told us cell phone providers control the speed of the message, but Walsh said it played a big role in bringing the girl back home to Springfield.

“In these situations, time is always of the essence because you want to make sure the child is safe, they don’t get too far away,” added Walsh. “The mom isn’t on any potential drugs or intoxicated in anyway while they are driving a car at a potentially high speed so getting the child back quickly and safely is always goal number 1.

“I’m just thankful that everything worked out and they found her quick,” said Goncalves.

Arnold is expected to be arraigned in Springfield District Court on Friday and is facing kidnapping charges. Meanwhile, we’re told the 4-year-old girl is home safe with her family.