Toddler, 3, Found After Family Invited Kidnapping Suspect Into Home Because She 'Needed Helping Hand'

A missing toddler in Arizona has been safely recovered, and the suspect accused of kidnapping her was arrested after denying that she was a “serial kidnapper.”

The Avondale Police Department issued an Amber Alert for 3-year-old Kehlani Rogers on Saturday (February 21). Per a release on Facebook, she was last seen at her home the day prior around 11:30 p.m.

A suspect, later identified by police as 23-year-old Marina Noriega was mentioned in the Amber Alert. Family told ABC15 Arizona that Noriega was a stranger that Kehlani‘s parents let into their home because she “needed a helping hand.”

In an update on Sunday (February 22), authorities confirmed that Kehlani had been safely recovered.

Keep reading to find out more…

“We can officially confirm that Kehlani Rogers has been found safe and in good health, and Marina Noriega has been taken into custody,” the release read, noting that the toddler and suspect were found by authorities in Phoenix after a community member spotted them.

Kehlani was described as being “in good health,” and authorities did not believe “she was harmed during this ordeal.”

In an update earlier that morning, police had confirmed that she Kehlani and Noriega had been spotted in Maricopa, Ariz.

According to reporting by 12News, Kehlani‘s parents first discovered that both she and the suspect were missing on Saturday morning.

Citing court records, the outlet reported that a citizen recalled driving Noriega and Kehlani to Maricopa, saying that the suspect had mentioned plans to take a train to California.

Per the records, Noriega told authorities that she “made a mistake” and “denied having any plan for the child after she took her and denied intent to sell or harm the child.”

Noriega “facing a charge of custodial interference and was issued a $250,000 cash-only bond,” per 12News.

PEOPLE confirmed that the suspect had been booked in the Maricopa County Jail system.