Tennessee State Troopers located a missing two-year-old boy on Wednesday afternoon after a statewide Amber Alert was issued earlier in the morning. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation issued the alert.
The boy, identified as Cael Whitehead, of Houston County, was recovered unharmed with Austin Whitehead, 23, of Covington, Ga., on Interstate 24 eastbound at mile marker 153 in Marion County.
At approximately 3:02 p.m., the Houston County Sheriff’s Office contacted the Tennessee Highway Patrol’s (THP) Chattanooga Communications Center to advise that a citizen had observed the suspect vehicle on Interstate 24 near mile marker 105. THP Dispatchers also made contact with the citizen, who at the time was nearing mile marker 127 and traveling uphill on Monteagle Mountain. Upon talking with the dispatcher, the citizen confirmed the suspect’s vehicle description and license plate number.
Troopers William Collins and David McVey were then advised to “be on the lookout” for the suspect vehicle on the Marion County side of Monteagle Mountain. Trooper Collins observed the suspect vehicle at the 151 mile marker, where a pair of truckers were attempting to slow down the vehicle. Trooper Collins, with the assistance of THP Sgt. Matt Minter and Marion County Sheriff’s Office units, stopped the suspect vehicle without incident at mile marker 153 at approximately 3:28 p.m.
Cael Whitehead was secured and later taken into custody by the state’s Department of Children’s Services.
The driver, Austin Whitehead, was arrested and transported to the Marion County Jail.