Crime

Missing 3-year-old girl was abducted from her bed, police say.

Mariah Kay Woods, 3, was reported missing from her North Carolina home early Monday morning.
Mariah Kay Woods, 3, was reported missing from her North Carolina home early Monday morning. North Carolina Department of Public Safety

A 3-year-old North Carolina girl has been missing for over 24 hours after she was believed to be taken from her bed in the middle of the night on Monday.

Mariah Kay Woods was last seen at her home in Jacksonville, N.C., after her mother, Kristy Woods, put her to bed on Sunday night. By the morning, Mariah’s mother said she was gone.

Mariah stands at about 2 feet, 9 inches tall and weighs aorund 30 pounds. She has blondish-brown hair and blue eyes.

According to broadcast reports, Mariah’s mother put her to bed on Sunday evening and contacted authorities at 6 a.m. on Monday when she found that her daughter was missing from her bed.

The disappearance immediately prompted a statewide Amber Alert and authorities to search wooded areas around where the family lives, including the grounds of Camp Lejeune, the nearby Marine Corps base. Federal agents joined the search efforts on Tuesday after it went into its second day.

Kristy Woods told local news outlets that she last saw her daughter around 11 p.m. on Sunday when she checked on her. She said her boyfriend saw Mariah around midnight when she got up and he told her to go back to bed. Once they realized she was missing, the couple called the police.

"If anybody knows where she is at or any information, just please call the sheriff's department or notify anybody," Woods told reporters through tears. "She is very sweet loving girl."

Crime Stoppers in Onslow County is offering a $2,500 reward for information that leads to finding the toddler.Anyone with information is asked to call (910)-938-3273.

Samantha Putterman: 941-745-7027, @samputterman

This story was originally published November 28, 2017 at 4:18 PM with the headline "Missing 3-year-old girl was abducted from her bed, police say.."

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