Amber Alert canceled in Santa Fe

About an hour after releasing an Amber Alert for an 18-monthold boy who authorities said may have been abducted from a Motel 6 in Santa Fe, along with the child’s mother, a spokesman for the Santa Fe Police Department said mother and boy were back home and safe Sunday evening, and police were working to determine if the report that led to the alert was even warranted.

The alert, which went out about 8:30 p.m., was canceled at 9:30 p.m.

New Mexico State Police issued a news release on behalf of Santa Fe police shortly before cellphones in the area began buzzing with the jarring sound of the alert. The statement said the boy and his mother may have been abducted by two men during an armed robbery at the Cerrillos Road motel late Saturday night, and that the men may have stolen the woman’s vehicle. The news release asked for the public’s help in locating the small boy wearing Batman pajamas.

It even provided details about the two suspects and photos to aid in their capture.

No arrests were made, however, and Santa Fe police spokesman Lt. Paul Joye later indicated that doubts had been raised about the accuracy of the report. Police were still working on “finding out what happened,” he said late Sunday.

“The important thing is that everybody is OK and safe,” Joye said. “Hopefully, we will have more information tomorrow about what actually happened.”