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Mother of girl taken by her father speaks about previous issues
PEORIA, Ariz. - A young toddler from Peoria is home following her apparent kidnapping and weekend manhunt.
Peoria Police say her father did not have custody when he took her during a supervised visit on June 8. She was rescued on June 9 in New Mexico.
Kirby's mother, Melissa Salas, is relieved her daughter is safe, but she’s also furious this happened, claiming multiple red flags and warning signs were missed.
"She was just sleeping with all of her stuffies in her bed last night. I couldn’t stop looking at her and praising God that she was home, that she was home safe. She’s home," she said.
Peoria child rescued out of state after allegedly being taken by non-custodial parent
The Peoria Police Department says a two-year-old girl who was allegedly taken by her non-custodial parent was rescued out of state.
An unspeakable sense of relief washes over Salas and her fiancé as her two-year-old daughter Kirby is back in her arms after a nightmare weekend.
"There are no words. You’re just there, and you can’t believe it’s happening, but it is happening," Salas said.
Peoria Police say Kirby’s father, 51-year-old Kevin Carr, kidnapped her during a supervised visit.
Investigators believe Carr removed his ankle monitor when he took off with his daughter, whom he has no parental rights over.
Law enforcement found Kirby unharmed in New Mexico. Carr was arrested.
"It shouldn’t have happened. We saw this coming. He told us this would happen, and I tried to tell the officials that this was going to happen," Salas said.
Court documents say Carr would send Salas threatening messages and share suicidal thoughts.
She was granted two orders of protection against him, and he was arrested in May for aggravated harassment.
In a Payson booking report, officers say Carr was pulled over in September with meth and a gun. Kirby was reportedly in the backseat.
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Through submitted court paperwork, Salas' attorney wrote Carr also failed to follow through with any court-ordered drug tests and asked a psychological evaluation be administered before he be allowed any supervised visits.
Salas says her requests were denied.
"Let’s give him another chance. I know he did this, that, this, and he’s still doing that, but let’s give him another chance. It’s mindblowing. It should have never happened," Salas said.
She says she was let down by the court system and wants changes to ensure it doesn’t occur again.
Carr is facing several charges including kidnapping and custodial interference.
"Kirby has been let down. I’ve been trying to fight for her, because she can’t fight for herself," Salas said. "She’s the one who’s been let down."