LANCASTER – A woman who triggered an Amber Alert when she took her three boys from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Lancaster was not under arrest Monday morning but her children were in the custody of the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, authorities said.
Laria Walker-Anderson, 28, spoke with deputies after she turned herself in about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 10, with her three boys at Los Angeles County Fire Station 130 at 44558 North 40th Street West, said sheriff’s officials.
Sheriff’s officials opted not to arrest her and she left their station with family members, said Lt. D. Nagelman of the Sheriff’s Lancaster Station.
The children were taken by DCFS while investigators establish which parent has custody of the boys, ages 9, 8 and 6, Nagelman said.
“There’s a lot of conflicting information,” he said.
The woman and her sons walked into the fire station after family members persuaded her to surrender to authorities, sheriff’s officials said.
Sheriff’s deputies were in contact with New Mexico authorities, said L.A. sheriff’s Sgt. Brendan Kinsella.
Cellphones in Los Angeles, Orange, San Diego, Riverside and San Bernardino counties went off with alarms at about 2:30 p.m. Sunday, some seven hours after the woman allegedly kidnapped her children in Albuquerque — roughly an 11 and-a-half-hour trip from Southern California.
Walker-Anderson was believed to have taken the boys in a silver 2009 Kia Spectra with New Mexico license plates AAYR80. The car was found abandoned about 5:10 p.m. Sunday on Ramona Avenue south of Foothill Boulevard in LaVerne, according to authorities there. How Walker-Anderson got from LaVerne to Lancaster without the car was not immediately determined.
Walker-Anderson threatened the boys’ father, saying she would kill the boys and herself, Albuquerque news station KOB-TV reported. The Bernalillo County Sheriff’s Office said Walker-Anderson had a loaded gun in her possession.
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Tm says
Yeah well not a good thing to ignore especially if there are death threats involved ….. of course there are pros and cons to any type of system.
Amber says
This is why I ignore Amber alerts, and think the program is a waste.
I’m interested in getting occasional alerts about ACTUAL kidnapped children who are in “stranger danger”.
I’m NOT interested in getting alerted when there’s a family custody dispute, and the mom has taken her children.
Amber Alerts off.
Remembering says
You must not remember the dad that took off with his infant/toddler son in Lancaster a few years ago from Lancaster and then killed his son at the Palmdale train station. Or what about the dad a year or two ago who took his children and sped into the back of a semi truck to kill the. If they believe the child or children are in eminent danger, the alert is issued. They believed the mom in this case had a weapon and that caused the escalated alarm. I am glad they issued this alert as it put pressure on the mom and family members to do the right thing and contact authorities.