On Sunday, Houston police found a missing 3-year-old girl who was the subject of an AMBER Alert; she was in a motel room with a man who resisted arrest but was eventually taken into custody.
No officers were injured, and no weapons were found at the scene of her discovery on August 21. At 3:43 p.m., Houston Police tweeted that the AMBER Alert was canceled, and the child had been safely located.
The charges against Hernandez are as of yet unspecified. Police said they were unsure whether there was an existing connection between Hernandez and the girl.
The Houston police initially received a call at 5:30 a.m. on Sunday about a missing child.
The girl’s parents had gone to sleep at about 11 p.m. Saturday. When they woke up early Sunday morning, their apartment door was open, and their daughter was missing, they told the police.
After searching around their apartment complex, the parents called the police. Officers arrived to search the area.
An apartment resident informed officers that they saw a man with the girl. The suspect was identified as Holman Hernandez.
At 2 p.m., officers found Hernandez’s vehicle at a nearby motel, about a block away from the girl’s apartment complex. The motel manager informed officers that Hernandez rented a room at about 7:30 a.m. Sunday.
Officers reportedly approached the room and knocked on the door. After no one answered, officers forced their way inside and discovered the missing girl in the room with Hernandez.
The girl was taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation.
“We’re all blessed. The family is blessed that the kid appears to be OK,” HPD Chief Troy Finner said. “To see the father and that kid in the ambulance and being able to talk to the father and the kid … it’s amazing.”
The Houston-based Texas Center for the Missing works to educate loved ones and authorities on finding missing people. From resources that deal with missing people — from children to endangered adults — the non-profit organization has resources to help.
There is no 24-hour waiting period required to report a missing person, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office.