Florida boy safe, grandmother in custody after kidnapping
TAVARES, Fla. – An Amber Alert has been discontinued for a 5-year-old boy from Lake County.
According to the Tavares Police Department, Jace Saunders is believed to have been kidnapped by his grandmother, Kelly Dasilva, on Sunday afternoon.
On Monday morning, authorities confirmed that Tavares police detectives were responding to the Lady Lake Police Department “in reference to Kelly Dasilva being present with missing boy, Jace Saunders.”
Jace will be turned over to DCF, authorities said.
Authorities said Tavares police officers and officials from the Florida Department of Children and Families responded to a home on Tara Drive Sunday to remove Jace from a relative’s custody and turn him over to DCF.
“Jace was not at the residence and was with a family friend, Mitchell Morris, on a golf cart ride,” the police department said in a news release. “The relative called Mitchell Morris and instructed him to return with Jace, however, Mitchell Morris met with Kelly Dasilva near a park and turned Jace over to her.”
Mitchell was arrested on a charge of interference of child custody.
Police confirmed that Jace’s parents, Taylor Judy and Brandon Saunders, were also arrested for interference of child custody “due to their lack of cooperation with law enforcement in the attempts of locating their son.”
Police said Jace was confirmed to be “safe and in good health.”
Authorities have not yet disclosed why Jace was initially removed from the custody of his parents.
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