A mother and her child were reunited Tuesday morning after someone stole the woman’s car and sped away with the child sitting in the back seat, officials said.

The child was still inside the car when it was found abandoned in southeast Atlanta about three miles from where it had been stolen, Atlanta police said in a statement. The child, who appeared to be a young girl, was not harmed, Channel 2 Action News reported.

The theft happened about 8:10 a.m. at a location along Atlanta Avenue, police said. The child’s mother told officers that she left the car running and a man hopped inside and drove off.

Officers began canvassing the area searching for the car and the girl. It was found abandoned in the 600 block of Newtown Circle shortly after, police said.

The suspect in the incident has not been located, and it was not immediately clear if they had been identified. An investigation is ongoing.

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Austin Walters died from an overdose in 2021 after taking a Xanax pill laced with fentanyl, his father said. A new law named after Austin and aimed at preventing deaths from fentanyl has resulted in its first convictions in Georgia, prosecutors said. (Family photo)

Credit: Family photo