Crime & Safety

Kidnapped Charlotte Girl Rescued In D.C. Following High Speed Chase

Authorities say Arieyana Simone Forney was kidnapped by her uncle following double murder.

Kimberly Johnson, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge
CHARLOTTE, NC -- An amber alert for a Charlotte girl kidnapped Sunday morning following the shooting death of her caregivers was cancelled after she was found in Washington, D.C. Her rescue, however, came after a dramatic high-speed car chase through the nation’s capital that led to a crash and arrest of her uncle, authorities said.

Arieyana Simone Forney, 11, was uninjured following the April 3 crash, authorities said late Sunday evening. She was taken to a Washington-area hospital and appeared to be uninjured, according to The Charlotte Observer.

Arieyana Simone Forney

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Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police issued an Amber Alert for Forey Sunday after she was found missing from her home on the 7500 block of Glencannon Drive in Charlotte. Authorities discovered her grandparents, who were her guardians, dead in the home, victims of homicide. Police identified a white 2005 Chevrolet Impala with North Carolina tags PAV4294 as the vehicle last seen leaving the scene prior to first responders arriving.

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Police say Atkinson was driving this white 2005 Chevy Impala
Nine hours later, authorities believe it was Forney who called police from that vehicle around 8 p.m., alerting them to her location and that she had been kidnapped.

Following the crash, Forney’s uncle, Curtis Atkinson, Jr., 36, was arrested and taken into custody Sunday for the double murders and the kidnapping of his niece. Passenger Nikkia Cooper, 26, was also arrested on drug charges. Police are investigating her role in the murders and kidnapping, the newspaper reported.

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