4-year-old boy abducted at gunpoint by mother found unharmed

MORRISVILLE,N.C. (WTVD) -- A boy abducted by his mother in Morrisville was found unharmed Saturday morning, according to a town spokesperson.

Authorities located the 4-year-old in Fayetteville. Deneshia Williams and her boyfriend Jontae Purdie are both in custody.

It is not clear if police are searching for a third suspect. No further information was provided at this time.

What happened?

Officers began investigating after responding to an apartment complex on Bloom Road around 2:20 p.m. An AMBER Alert was issued more than 6 hours later for Brandis Tyrone Smith Jr.

"Just very devastating, especially knowing it happened to people that lived here." That's what neighbor Stacey Howe said when she heard about the investigation.

The AMBER Alert identifies Smith Jr. as being 4 years old and approximately 3-foot-6, weighing 40 pounds. He was last seen wearing a black shirt with the words "daddy's boy" across it.

According to police, Deneshia Williams and her boyfriend Jontae Purdie, as well as an unknown man are the main suspects in the crime.

Williams, who is Smith Jr.'s mother, reportedly pointed a gun at the child's father during the abduction. Police said the child's father was also physically assaulted by Purdie and the other man.

During that altercation, the child's father's girlfriend tried to get Smith Jr. away from the situation. However, before they could escape, police said Williams pointed the gun at the girlfriend and took her wallet.

Williams then took Smith Jr. and left.

"I just feel really bad for the father and the little boy. I've run into them a lot. They live below me, and I can just say he's a really great dad. He works a lot, and his son is just a really cute, smart kid," Howe said.

Police sought warrants for the three suspects on charges of assault by pointing a gun, armed robbery and one count of simple assault.

An AMBER Alert was issued shortly after 8:30 p.m. It's unclear what took hours to get the AMBER Alert activated.

Editor's note: The initial version of this article identified the child as being 2 years old. That's what Morrisville Police Department originally reported. The article was changed when the AMBER Alert was issued with different information.e