New Mexico Amber Alert: Abducted 5-year-old girl found in El Paso; grandma, aunt arrested

A 5-year-old girl who was the focus of a New Mexico Amber Alert was found safe in El Paso after she was allegedly abducted from an Albuquerque elementary school by her grandmother and aunt, New Mexico State Police said.

The girl, Kaelani Gonzales, was found at a home after El Paso police arrested the girl's grandmother, Marianne Garnand, and her aunt, Cecilia Garnand, at a Circle K gas station on Zaragoza Road by Rich Beem Boulevard at about 12:10 a.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, in the Upper East Side , New Mexico State Police said in a news release.

The girl's aunt, Cecilia Garnand, was allegedly in possession of a handgun, a shotgun and methamphetamine, an El Paso Police Department spokesman said.

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New Mexico State Police had issued an Amber Alert after Kaelani was allegedly seen by witnesses running with her grandmother from Kirtland Elementary School into a dark-colored SUV about 4 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 22, in Albuquerque, state police said and believed the child could be in danger.

The girl since July had been in the custody of the Children Youth and Families Department, and her grandmother does not have legal custody, NMSP said.

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NMSP Investigations Bureau agents learned that the child was allegedly abducted by her grandmother and aunt and were in an SUV driving to Texas. The Texas Department of Public Safety and El Paso police were contacted for assistance, NM state police said. The women were located hours later at the Circle K gas station.

Marianne and Cecilia Garnand face charges in New Mexico of child abuse, custodial interference and conspiracy to commit a felony, state police said.

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Marianne Garnand is being held without bond at the El Paso County Jail Downtown on a charge of being a fugitive from justice awaiting extradition to New Mexico, according to a jail log.

Cecilia Garnand was booked by El Paso police on charges of drug possession and unlawful carrying of a weapon. She is at the Downtown jail, held on a total bond of $4,000 as of Thursday morning, according to a jail log.

This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: New Mexico Amber Alert: Abducted 5-year-old girl found in El Paso; grandma, aunt arrested