JUST IN: Ga. teen abducted from home found alive, police say
Posted: September 18, 2013 - 1:49pm
ELLENWOOD, Ga. (AP) -- A 14-year-old Georgia girl abducted in a home invasion robbery was found alive on Wednesday after a massive search by multiple law enforcement agencies.
Ayvani Hope Perez had been taken from her home early Tuesday after authorities said robbers broke in, demanded money and jewelry and were told there was none. Authorities have said the robbery and abduction appeared to be random.
Clayton County Police Chief Gregory Porter said the girl was found in Conyers and has been reunited with her family.
"She's in good health, she's being evaluated as we speak," Porter said.
He said two suspects were in custody.
The FBI and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation assisted Clayton County police in the search.
Two men, described as wearing black clothing and armed with handguns, pried open a back door of the home in the Ellenwood area around 2:15 a.m. Tuesday, demanding the items, authorities said.
The family had moved in about a month ago and apparently didn't know the suspects, authorities said.
Ayvani's mother had her daughter and her 15-year-old son hiding inside the home, but the intruders were able to find them, police said in a statement. The men abducted Ayvani with no explanation, police said.
The crime happened on a cul-de-sac in Ellenwood, a small community about 10 miles southeast of Atlanta, police said. The subdivision of two-story homes is on the northern edge of Clayton County, just south of the DeKalb County line.
On Tuesday evening, more than 150 people gathered in a circle and held hands in prayer at the candlelight vigil at Dutchtown High School in Hampton.