This undated photo released by the FBI shows 3-year-old Kamille McKinney, who police say has been missing since she was abducted while attending a birthday party on Saturday, Oct. 12, 2019, in Birmingham, Ala. (FBI via AP)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — An intense search of an apartment complex didn’t turn up signs of a missing 3-year-old Alabama girl who was abducted from a birthday party days ago, police in Birmingham said Wednesday.
Live video from news outlets showed police blocking off a street and the sound of a law enforcement helicopter overhead. Officers in helmets and other tactical gear were seen entering an apartment building.
But the search, conducted less than 10 miles (16 kilometers) from where Kamille McKinney was last seen, didn’t turn up signs of the girl even though officers looked through every apartment and car in the area, said Sgt. Johnny Williams, a police spokesman.
“We are still searching for her,” he said.
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Officers got a tip from someone who might have mistaken another child for the girl relatives call “Cupcake,” Williams said.
The girl was snatched away from a birthday party outside a housing project in Birmingham on Saturday night, police said.
At a news conference Wednesday evening, Birmingham Police Chief Patrick Smith urged whoever took the child to return her.
“I want to reach out to one individual. If you know where Kamille is, if you have her and you’re not sure what to do, I want to talk to you,” Smith said.
“Safe passage is the way to go. Please bring her to one of our fire stations, the police station, a hospital,” the chief said. “If you don’t know what to do or where to and you’re frightened, we’re here to help you.”
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A man and a woman described as persons of interest were arrested and charged with crimes that police said were unrelated to the girl’s disappearance. But police said they don’t know where the child might be.
Officials have announced rewards totaling $20,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the child’s disappearance. An Amber Alert seeking information about the girl was initially sent only to Alabama, but was later expanded to neighboring states.
Anyone with information about where the child could be is asked to contact Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777 or call Birmingham police.
