AMBER Alert Canceled For 7-Year-Old Prophet Marquis Matthew Johnson; Mother, Grandmother Arrested
GLEN BURNIE, Md. (WJZ) -- An AMBER Alert was canceled Friday for a 7-year-old Maryland boy who was allegedly taken by his biological mother late Thursday.
Police said the boy, Prophet Marquis Matthew Johnson, was safely located in Baltimore County.
Officials said the boy's mother, Tiffany Charquita Johnson, contacted police and turned herself in. He will be returned to his father's care.
WJZ spoke with Johnson on the phone Friday. She said she is legally allowed to take her child and has documents she said prove her stance.
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Johnson said her son is sick with sickle-cell anemia and set to undergo surgery on Monday, a surgery she felt was not necessary. That was a factor in the case, she said.
"I did not kidnap my own child," she said. "He is a resident of where I live at."
When asked what her intent was to go to the boy's father's home Thursday night, Johnson told WJZ reporter Ava-joye Burnett it was "to get my son. That's what I did. Nothing else. I got my son and I left."
Johnson, 38, of Concord, North Carolina, and grandmother, Devoris Brenda Szalkowski, 57, of District Heights, have both been arrested, the Anne Arundel County Police Department said.
"There will be consequences for the manner in which the child was removed from the home," Anne Arundel County Police Sgt. Kam Cooke said.
Original Post: 4:30 a.m.: An AMBER Alert has been issued for a missing 7-year-old boy in Anne Arundel County early Friday.
Police said Prophet Marquis Matthew Johnson may only be wearing gray underwear. He is without medication.
Police say at 10:50 p.m. Thursday, Tiffany Sharquita Johnson, Prophet's maternal grandmother, and two other men forced their way into an apartment at 400 Glen Mar Circle in Glen Burnie.
Police said the group assaulted his father and paternal grandparents, then they took Prophet and fled.
Prophet is Black. He is black hair and brown eyes. He's four feet tall and weighs 50 pounds.
They were last seen in a four-door, dark-colored Chrysler 300 with large rims.
Police said if you see them, do not approach the vehicle and instead call 911.
Here's a link to the full AMBER Alert. As of 4:50 a.m. police did not have a photo of Tiffany Johnson.
