COLUMBUS, Ohio — Almost 48 hours ago, 5-month-old Kason Thomas was kidnapped outside of the Donatos location in the Short North neighborhood of Columbus, Ohio.
Family and community members gathered in front of the store Wednesday to pray for Kason’s safe return.
What You Need To Know
- Nalah Jackson is suspected of kidnapping Kason Thomas, who remains missing
- FBI has issued a warrant for Jackson on two counts of kidnapping
- FBI has deployed 12 detectives to help with the investigation
- BOLOs have been put out to surrounding states
- Anyone with information related to the case is asked to call (614) 645-4701 or 1-800-CALL-FBI
“This ain’t a prayer vigil, this a prayer victory. a victory that this baby will be home to his parents,” said one community member.
Kason was originally taken with his twin brother, Kyair, around 9:45 Monday night when their mother’s 2010 Honda Accord was stolen. An AMBER Alert was sent out early Tuesday morning, and a few hours later, Kyair was found in a parking lot at the Dayton airport.
As the family still holds out hope to find Kason, it’s his smile and laugh that are pushing the family to keep hope alive.
“He’s just the most adorable baby,” said his grandmother, LaFonda Thomas. “Together, him and his brother, they’re inseparable. He has the best smile. I heard him laugh for the first time this weekend. He has the best laugh. We don’t even know what else he has to show us. what we’ve seen in the last five months, we want to continue to see every day.”
Columbus Police have named Nalah Jackson as the prime suspect. They are working with various law enforcement agencies; including Dayton Police, Ohio State Highway Patrol and the FBI.
“The Dayton Police Department, they’ve opened their home to us,” said CPD’s LaShanna Potts. “We have detectives out there. We’ve also been neighboring with the local municipalities here. Everybody is telling us this is something that is impacting the nation because this is a 5-month-old. You just don’t take babies.”
The family continues the search with just one message.
“We ask you, we beg, please, please, please do the right thing,” said Thomas.
Jackson was last spotted in Montgomery County with the stolen car. It has been confirmed that Jackson does have a criminal record.
Dion Green, one of the Dayton mass shooting survivors, has put up a $5,000 reward and asked for volunteers to reach out to homeless shelters around Dayton and Indiana.
In a press conference late Wednesday afternoon, Columbus Police Department Chief Elaine Bryant pleaded with everyone to help locate Kason Thomas, the suspect, Nalah Jackson, or the missing 2010 Honda Accord. The FBI has issued a warrant for Jackson on two counts of child kidnapping and has deployed 12 detectives to investigate in Franklin County and the western part of the state. A national AMBER Alert hasn’t been sent because Jackson hasn’t been seen in another state, but surrounding states do have a BOLO (Be On the Look Out) for her. The FBI spoke with Jackson’s ex-boyfriend and from the conversation they didn’t gather any evidence of suicidal or homicidal ideations.
Law enforcement is putting technology and resources towards finding baby Kason but there have been no credible leads. Earlier Wednesday morning, the twins’ mother was texted asking for a ransom, but the FBI concluded that it was not a credible threat and had no connection with the suspect.
Law enforcement agencies are working around the clock to bring Kason home and are relying on the community to help. Anyone who knows or sees anything that could be related to the case is asked to call 614-645-4701 or 1-800-CALLFBI.
