Authorities are searching for a woman and her child who were reported missing from Streator, Illinois, and may have been abducted by the child’s father. NBC 5’s Chris Hush reports.
Authorities are searching for a woman and her child who were reported missing from Streator, Illinois, and may have been abducted by the child's father.
Kayla Stratton, 24, and her 11-month-old son Paul Merritte were last seen around 11 p.m. on Friday, according to the LaSalle County Sheriff's office.
Authorities said in a missing persons alert that the child was "consensually taken" by his father, 33-year-old Clarence Merritte, who is a suspect in the case. [[414197493, C]]
According to police, Stratton was in a car in the 1900 block of East 1st Street as the suspect chased her in another vehicle, ramming her car multiple times and forcing her off the road, where she crashed into a utility pole.
The suspect then struck and took Stratton from her car by the hair, officials said, forcing her into his vehicle, which was later found abandoned several blocks west of the incident.
All three remain missing, and the sheriff's office, along with the Streator Police Department, continue to investigate.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the LaSalle County Sheriff's office at (815) 433-2161.
