Late last Thursday, Georgia’s DeKalb County Police Department announced the arrest of 23-year-old Artavious North, the father of 2-year-old J’Asiah Mitchell.
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The seemingly panicked dad told authorities his son was kidnapped by armed men who took the child right out of his arms. Now North has been charged with giving a false statement and false report of a crime, but those charges might be the least of his problems…
“The last person he was with was his daddy,” J’Asiah’s mother, Asia Mitchell, told Fox 5 Atlanta.
Asia appeared to recall what North told police when she told Fox 5, “Somebody pulled up on him while he was leaving out this neighborhood and held him at gunpoint and took my baby from him.”
But, apparently, North had trouble keeping his story straight, which resulted in him being named a person of interest by the department and then ultimately arrested.
Fox 5 reports that the father alleged that a car started trailing him as he left an apartment complex with his son.
“And said the car swerved in front of him as he was trying to leave out the entrance of the apartment complex, jumped out with guns asked him for something. He didn’t have it, so they took my grandson,” his grandmother said.
By Thursday afternoon, however, police and the family said that inconsistencies in that story became apparent.
“There’s either more to the story, or the whole story is just a lie, because even if it was a drug deal gone bad, or whatever the case may be, they would hurt him and not the baby,” his grandmother said. “I think the dad need to tell us what happened.”
“We are working through inconsistencies in the reporting of the alleged kidnapping. The investigation is fluid and evolving. We are working with federal state and local law enforcement partners to follow up on all available leads,” a statement released by the DCPD early Thursday evening states, adding the first priority is finding the toddler.
Just before midnight, police announced North’s arrest.
Unfortunately, there is still no word on J’Asiah’s location or condition. On Friday, East Point police officers and city water crews drained a lake on the grounds of the Elite at Lakeview Apartment Complex on Lakeview Place, where North reported leaving when he allegedly claimed he was robbed and his son was “kidnapped.”
Meanwhile, J’Asiah’s mother and grandmother are pleading for him to safely return to them.
“Please bring my baby back safe and unharmed because he’s more than what you think he is. He has people who love him,” Asia said lat week. “I just want to get my baby. That’s it. He wasn’t a part of anything that was going on.”
“Take him anywhere. Just leave him and let us know where he is at and let us pick him up or just tell somebody to call somebody, and we will come get him. But please just give him to us. Please,” J’Asiah’s grandmother pleaded.
Authorities are asking that anyone who sees a boy resembling J’Asiah call 911, and anyone with information about the case should contact the East Point Police Department.
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