LAS VEGAS, NV — The 1-year-old child at the center of Wednesday’s Amber Alert was found in Las Vegas, according to information Channel 13 obtained from law enforcement. The alert had been issued after Elko County authorities said they were investigating reports that the child had been taken from Elko to Modesto, California.
Sheriff’s officials said the case involved allegations of child abuse, neglect and domestic violence. After the alert was issued at 4:22 p.m. Wednesday, officials said they were told soon afterward that the child and the child’s mother, Rehanna De La Rosa, were in Las Vegas.
Deputies said allegations included assault and confinement
Elko County sheriff’s officials said the investigation included reports that the mother’s boyfriend, Donny Alichanh, punched the child in the face and locked the 1-year-old in a closet for long periods of time. Those allegations formed part of the reason deputies moved quickly on the case and sought the public’s help.
Authorities said they also received information that Alichanh and De La Rosa had left Modesto and may have taken the baby to Las Vegas or Mexico. The possibility that the child could be moved out of the area, officials said, intensified concern for the child’s immediate safety and well-being.
Missed court appearance added urgency to the search
Officials said De La Rosa had been scheduled to appear in Elko District Court on Tuesday for a custody hearing that would have transferred guardianship of the child to the state. She did not appear for that hearing, according to sheriff’s officials.
Detectives also were unable to reach her, and they were told she had made additional statements that she could take her child to Mexico. Authorities said she changed her phone number as investigators were trying to contact her, which added to concerns that she was trying to avoid law enforcement.
Why Elko County officials issued the Amber Alert
In explaining the alert, Elko County officials said the mother’s actions suggested she knew law enforcement was trying to reach her and that she was attempting to conceal the child. They said they believed she would continue to evade contact, and they described the risk to the child as immediate.
That assessment led deputies to request an Amber Alert, which was designed to widen the search beyond the local investigation. Officials said the alert went out Wednesday afternoon as investigators tried to determine where the child had been taken and whether the family had crossed state lines or headed toward the border.
The child was located in Las Vegas shortly after the alert
Shortly after the alert was issued, officials said they were notified that De La Rosa and the child were in Las Vegas. The sheriff’s office did not immediately provide additional details about how the child was found or what condition the child was in when located.
Law enforcement officials said the Elko County Sheriff’s Office is working with the Nevada Department of Child and Family Services to make sure the child remains safe. That coordination is continuing while detectives follow up on the case and piece together the family’s movements.
Investigators say the case remains open
Elko County sheriff’s officials said detectives are still following up and that the investigation remains ongoing. They have not said whether any charges have been filed in connection with the allegations described in the Amber Alert paperwork.
The case began with reports that a child living in Elko had been taken to Modesto, but it quickly expanded into a multi-state search that reached Nevada’s largest city. For now, authorities are focused on the child’s continued safety and the next steps in the investigation.
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