Texas Girl Found After Being Kidnapped 2 Years Ago

Mariah Martinez was just 8-years-old when she was kidnapped from her home in Lubbock, Texas in October 2016. Police say the girl's mother Amanda took Mariah along with her two siblings and fled out of fear she would lose custody of her children. An emergency court order had just been issued to remove the children from her custody after her boyfriend reportedly punched five-year-old Jeremiah and threatened to kill the family. 

By the time police arrived at her home to take custody of the children she had fled. 

Police managed to track down Amanda and two of the children in January 2017, but they were unable to locate Mariah. Amanda was arrested on felony charges but refused to cooperate with police and reveal the location of her daughter. 

Police believed the girl might be in New Mexico but were unable to make any progress in tracking her down. That all changed after A&E detailed her story on the show Live PD. After watching the episode which aired last Friday, a viewer reached out to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children with a tip on her whereabouts. 

Using the tip police were able to track down the girl and found her safe in New Mexico. They did not say who she was staying with, or if anybody else was facing charges in her disappearance two years ago.

Photo: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children