An Endangered Child Alert has been issued by authorities in Tennessee after a 11-month-old baby went missing.
Dreama Powell was last seen earlier in July, with authorities believing that she was with a family member. In an update released on Wednesday night, the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation confirmed that she was last seen with her mother, Taylor Powell, and that a warrant had been obtained charging Taylor Powell with custodial interference.
The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation described Dreama Powell as 2 feet, 2 inches tall, weighing 15 pounds, with brown hair and brown eyes.
“If you have seen Dreama or have information regarding her whereabouts, please call the Kingsport Police Department at 423-246-9111 or TBI at 1-800-TBI-FIND,” the Bureau said in a statement posted on Facebook.
Comments on the Bureau’s Facebook post expressed hope that the baby would be found safe, with many people offering prayers for her safe return.
Newsweek contacted the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for more information on the case.
Custodial interference charges occur when authorities suspect a parent has broken instructions given to them by a court regarding a child, such as taking a child away from another parent who is the sole custodian, or contacting them inappropriately.
In some cases, custodial interference can develop into kidnapping charges, especially if a child has been taken for a long amount of time. Under Tennessee state law, custodial interference applies when “the child is removed from the child’s lawful custodian in violation of this act for a period of 15 days.”
Custodial interference remains a misdemeanor, while kidnapping is a felony, with significantly harsher sentences. Interference charges often result in fines, usually around $2,500, while more serious felonies, like kidnapping, could lead to jail time. Common justifications for custodial interference include a reasonable belief that the child is in danger, or a victim of domestic violence.
Kidnapping was down year-on-year in Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation’s 2022 crime report, its most recent available data.
Earlier in July, a similar case saw an Idaho man’s missing 2-year-old daughter and fiancée located in Mexico. Aaron Aung was also charged with custodial interference, after being captured by Mexican authorities and detained in Arizona.
Aung’s daughter, Sereya Aung Harmon, was placed into the care of Arizona Child Protective Services and his fiancée, 21-year-old Nadia Cole, was departed back to the U.S., police said.
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
