Missing Child Found Safe in Puerto Rico

Local law enforcement officials teamed up with other agencies across the state and nation to search for a missing 7-year-old girl, who was found in Puerto Rico on April 6.

Stella Brannen Salter and her mother, Wendy Powell Salter, were reported missing on Tuesday, April 2, after family members and friends said they had last seen the pair on Saturday, March 29. According to Lyons Police Chief Wesley continued from page

Walker, the child was believed to be traveling with her mother to Atlanta in a 2007 gold Volvo, which had been spotted in Metter the same day where the report was made.

On Wednesday, April 3, law enforcement officials were able to track Wendy’s cell phone to Orlando, Florida, where the device pinged several cell phone towers throughout the city. As the search intensified, officials discovered that a flight from Orlando to San Juan, Puerto Rico, had been booked in Wendy’s and Stella’s names. Upon discovering this information, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) became involved with the case.

Through the collaborative efforts of the Lyons Police Department, U.S. Marshals Service, Toombs County District Attorney’s Office, Metter Police Department, Candler County Sheriff’s Office, and FBI, the mother and child were found safe in Puerto Rico on Saturday, April 6. Stella was returned to her father, who has full custody of the child, and Wendy was charged with Interstate Interference with Child Custody. She currently awaits extradition.