UPDATE: Virginia State Police terminated the AMBER Alert for 3-year-old Tommy Lee Able Engle at 1:52 p.m. Wednesday. He was found with his father, Tommy Lee Travis Engle, in Pike County, Kentucky.
Kentucky State Police say the father is in the detention center there and charges are pending.
Patrick County, Va. Sheriff Dan Smith says he was contacted by the elder Engle via cell phone just after midnight and the correspondence with him continued throughout the early morning hours.
“During the conversations with Engle, he would tell us that the child was fine, he let us talk to his son and he would send us text message pictures of the child,” the Sheriff said. “I felt much better about the situation once we were able to talk about a resolution.”
Engle was taken into custody without incident at 12:50 p.m. Wednesday. He is currently wanted on two felony assault charges against the child’s mother.
Patrick County, Va. – An Amber Alert has been issued for a missing 3-year-old from Patrick County. Police say they believe this child could be in EXTREME danger.
Police say the father of the child, Tommy Lee Travis Engle, has made suicidal and homicidal threats towards law enforcement.
Authorities are looking for Tommy Lee Able Engle. He is described as a 3-year-old white male. He is 3 feet tall, weighs 35 pounds and has blue eyes and short blonde hair. He was last seen on 367 Oak Hill Lane. Police say he was abducted at 6:30 p.m. on August 4th.
The father, the accused abductor, is described as a white male who is 6’3, about 200 pounds. He has brown hair, brown eyes and may be armed with an AK-47 and a ballistics vest.
He may be traveling in a 2001 Navy Blue Dodge Neon 4D vehicle with the license plate WNZ-9169, VA. Police have not specified a direction in which the two may be headed.
If you have seen this child or the father, please call the Patrick County Sheriff’s Office at (276)694-3161 or Virginia State Police at 1-800-822-4453 (1-800-VACHILD). PLEASE DO NOT APPROACH if you spot the pair . Please call police instead.
We will continue to post more updates as we learn more about this case.
