Baby found safe, father arrested after South Georgia kidnapping

A 7-month-old girl was reunited with her mother Thursday afternoon, hours after authorities said she was abducted by her father in South Georgia.

A statewide Amber Alert was issued for Genesis Sciandra Gutierrez Harris shortly before noon after the baby’s father, Leander Nathaniel Harris, attacked her mother in Glennville and kidnapped his daughter, according to the GBI.

“The child was considered endangered based on the forceful abduction of the child and violent assault on the mother,” GBI spokeswoman Nelly Miles said.

Police quickly circulated photos of the infant and her father, and released a description of the white SUV he was last seen driving.

Genesis Harris was recovered Thursday afternoon in Statesboro with the help of the Long County Sheriff’s Office, Statesboro police and the Bulloch County Sheriff’s Office, the GBI said.

The GBI is investigating the kidnapping of a 7 month old out of Long County. The child has been recovered safely and is uninjured. Leander Nathaniel Harris, age 23, of Glennville, GA is in police custody.
https://t.co/gwbeCbdDIf pic.twitter.com/toY6TXAjPs
— GA Bureau of Investigation (@GBI_GA) January 7, 2021

Leander Harris was arrested at the scene and will be charged with abducting his daughter and assaulting her mother, Miles said. A tweet posted by the GBI just before 3:30 p.m. appears to show the child’s mother crying as she was reunited with her daughter.

No additional details about the alleged kidnapping have been released.

— Please return to AJC.com for updates.

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