SIERRA COUNTY, Calif. October 25, 2016 – On October 24, 2016 at approximately 7:40pm our agency was notified by the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office of a possible sighting of the vehicle and subject of the Amber Alert issued out of their county in the Pike area of Sierra County. The California Highway Patrol, Yuba County Sheriff’s Office, and Nevada County Sheriff Office also were notified of the sighting and began searching for the vehicle which was able to evade law enforcement.
On October 25, 2015 at approximately 6:40am, a Sierra County Sheriff’s Deputy spotted the vehicle on Highway 49 traveling north towards Downieville. A pursuit ensued but the deputy lost sight of the vehicle. The vehicle was soon located abandoned and a massive search began for the mother and child utilizing CHP and Placer County Sheriff’s Office canine search dogs, a CHP helicopter, and several uniformed officers on foot.
At approximately 3:10pm the mother, 35-year-old Hannah Ashley and the 7-month-old child, Henry Massey, were located in the Downieville area.
Both were evaluated by local medical personnel and transported to the nearest hospital for precautionary measures. We’re happy to report that both mother and child are unharmed and appear to be doing well. After medical evaluation, Hanna Ashley will be booked into the Wayne Brown Correctional Facility for charges related to child abduction and evading police. The investigation is ongoing.
Our agency is indebted to the California Highway Patrol, Placer County Sheriff’s Office, Sonoma County Sheriff’s Detectives, and California Office of Emergency Services for their assistance.