FBI Joins Search for Washington Toddler Left by Mother in Car
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is joining the search for Sky Metalwala, a 2-year-old boy who was taken from a parked car in Bellevue, Wash., Sunday as his mother bought gas.
The boy, described as wearing a dark green hooded sweatshirt and blue and gray-striped pants when his mother last saw him, is of Caucasian and Indian descent and has dark hair and brown eyes.
Search dogs, local police and 50 emergency responders searched the area Sunday after the disappearance was reported at 9:50 a.m., but they had to halt efforts at 6 p.m. when temperatures dropped and it became too dark.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
“King County felt like they had done a very thorough search of a pretty wide area for the boy and were confident that he wasn't there,” said Office Carla Iafrate from the Bellevue Police Department.
KCPQ-TV reported the boy went missing from the family’s silver Acura when his mother took his 4-year-old sister and walked to get gas from a mile away. The mother said she left him buckled to his seat, and went to meet a friend who helped her with the gas.
As they returned one hour later, they found that the toddler was gone. Police have said there were no signs of forced entry, and that the door was not locked.
"We don't know much, other than that the child is still missing. I don't know if the child got out on his own. We don't have very much information,” said Iafrate.
An Amber Alert is yet to be issued, because authorities are unable to confirm it is an abduction case. However, they have urged all neighborhood residents to keep an eye out for the child, and for anyone who has any information about the toddler to call the department.
