Arizona Mom Dies After Being Thrown from Minivan During 10-Month-Old Son's Abduction
twitter Brittany Martie
An Arizona woman has tragically died after she was thrown from a moving minivan as it was being driven off with her infant child still inside, according to authorities.
Brittany Martie, 30, succumbed to the injuries she sustained during the abduction of her 10-month-old son Abel Maes in a residential neighborhood on Tuesday night, the Peoria Police Department said in a news release.
According to police, Martie grabbed on to her car when a man — identified by police as Abel's noncustodial father Eric Maes, 30 — had jumped into the driver's seat and started driving away with the child inside.
Martie was thrown from vehicle as it sped off, authorities said, and responding officers found her with life-threatening injuries when they arrived on scene in response to a domestic violence incident report.
The mom was transported to a local hospital, where she later died.
UPDATE: Search Continues in Homicide/Kidnapping Case@PeoriaPoliceAZ continue the search for Eric Maes. Anyone with info is encouraged to call Det. David Ayres a 623-773-8958 or contact @SilentwitnessAZ at 480-WITNESS
#peoriaaz #peoriapoliceaz https://t.co/fV7YPNAx5p pic.twitter.com/5xKdI2RHJk— Peoria Police (AZ) (@PeoriaPoliceAZ) February 10, 2021
An AMBER Alert was issued for Abel, who was found "in good health" early Wednesday morning after officers received a report of an abandoned child located 11 miles away from where he was taken, according to Peoria Police.
An alert for Martie's car, a 2010 Chrysler Town and Country minivan, was also sent out. The vehicle was found abandoned at a location just four miles away from Abel.
According to Peoria Police, Maes remains at large and authorities are investigating the incident as a homicide/kidnapping case.
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A suspect alert for Maes describes him as "a Caucasian male, approximately 5'11", 140 lbs., with short brown hair and brown eyes."
Police said he was last seen on foot near 2500 W. Cactus Road in Phoenix after leaving Martie's car.
Those with information regarding the incident or Maes' whereabouts have been asked to contact Detective David Ayres of the Peoria Police Department Major Crimes Unit at 623-773-8958 or the Peoria Police Tip Line at 623-773-7045.
Information can also be submitted anonymously by calling Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS or 480-TESTIGO, or online at silentwitness.org.
If you are experiencing domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or go to thehotline.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.
