More information has been revealed about the search for a one-year-old girl in the Pee Dee late Thursday, according to documents.
According to the Florence Police Department, a woman named Macie Eaddy, aged 32, is facing charges of kidnapping and other offenses in connection with the abduction of a child.
According to the arrest warrant for Eaddy’s kidnapping charge, video footage from Thursday night captured Eaddy and the child leaving Roses Department Store on South Irby Street. The footage shows them getting into a 2012 Mitsibushi Lancer, which was owned by the child’s mother.
According to officials, the mother of the child reached out to the Florence Police Department on Thursday night. She explained that she had gone shopping with Eaddy, who later went outside around 6 p.m. Eaddy offered to take the child to the car, which the mother agreed to. However, when the mother finished shopping, she discovered that Eaddy had taken both her child and her car.
The search for the child began immediately, prompting the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division to issue an Amber Alert.
Eaddy reportedly left the child outside in a child restraint at a location on Cale Yarborough Highway around 8 p.m. on Thursday. According to the warrant, a nearby homeowner discovered the child around 7 a.m. on Friday and promptly took them to a hospital for treatment.
The child endured the harsh cold, with temperatures dropping into the 30s overnight.
According to Brittni Miles, a friend of the mother who spoke to WMBF News on Friday, the baby being abandoned raises concerns about potential dangers such as the baby running into the road and getting hit. However, she mentioned that as far as she knows, the baby is doing alright.
Officials also reassured the public that the child seemed to be in good condition and was undergoing a thorough examination at the hospital. Furthermore, they promptly terminated the Amber Alert as soon as the child was found.
In the meantime, Eaddy was apprehended in Sumter County after authorities spotted him in the vehicle.
According to reports, Eaddy informed the Sumter County deputies that she had taken the child to an apartment complex in Florence, where she left him with a mutual friend of hers and the child’s mother.
Eaddy has been booked at the Sumter County Detention Center, where she is currently being held for extradition to Florence County. The Sumter County Sheriff’s Office revealed that Eaddy had outstanding warrants from Florence County, was driving with a suspended license, and was found in possession of suspected methamphetamine at the time of her arrest.
The aftermath of the situation is still being dealt with by those who are closest to it.
“Be careful who your children are around, because everybody’s not your friend,” said Dakota Collins, another friend of the mother who spoke to WMBF News.
SLED TIMELINE
SLED shared a detailed timeline of its investigation into the case on Friday afternoon.
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- At around 6 p.m. on Jan. 2, 2025, the child was abducted by Eaddy from the Roses store parking lot in Florence.
- The investigation has since revealed that the child was likely dropped off at a residence in Timmonsville at around 8:30 p.m. on January 2, 2025. The residence appears to have no connection to the child, the child’s mother, or to the subject. The investigation revealed the resident of the home reported hearing a car horn outside blow multiple times, then saw a car leaving the driveway at around that time.
- At approximately 9 p.m., three hours after the child was abducted, the mother of the child reported the child missing to the Florence Police Department.
- At 12:02 a.m. on Jan. 3, 2025, SLED received the initial request from the Florence Police Department that a child had been abducted and assistance was being requested.
- At 1:21 a.m. SLED sent a law enforcement bulletin to all law enforcement in South Carolina and bordering counties in surrounding states.
- From 12:02 a.m. until 4:20 a.m., SLED working in conjunction with the Florence Police Department and the FBI, utilized multiple resources in an attempt to locate the child at known addresses for the subject.
- At 4:20 a.m. sufficient information was gathered during the investigation by SLED, the Florence Police Department and the FBI to meet the criteria to issue the Amber Alert.
- From 4:20 a.m. until the alert was issued at 5:38 a.m., SLED coordinated with AMBER Alert partners, including the South Carolina Department of Transportation, the radio station WCOS, the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the National Weather Service, to ensure the alert would be widely shared.
- At 5:38 a.m. the Amber Alert was issued.
- At 6:50 a.m. the child was found in a carrier seat in the driveway of the Timmonsville homeowner. The homeowner does not appear to have any connection to the child, the child’s mother or the subject. The child had a temperature of 90 degrees and required medical attention.
- Just before 7 a.m., Eaddy was located and apprehended by deputies from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office after receiving a tip from a citizen who saw the vehicle listed in the Amber Alert.