Did A 12-Year-Old Really Abduct Her 4-Year-Old Brother At Gunpoint? | Crime Alert 4PM 12.04.25

A tense search in Wisconsin ends with two missing siblings found safe after reports that a girl had abducted her younger brother at gunpoint. A suspect is now in custody in Virginia in the long-unsolved federal pipe-bomb case tied to the January 6th Capitol attack in the District of Columbia. Drew Nelson reports.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Crime Alert, hourly update, Breaking crime news Now. I'm Drew Nelson.
A tense search in Wisconsin ends with two missing siblings
found safe after family members publicly clash over why police
were told the children disappeared. Initial reports were that a
girl had abducted her younger brother at gunpoint, but investigators
now have their doubts. The children are four year old

(00:21):
Nevin Powell and his sister, twelve year old Sonaya woot
And Powell. Milwaukee Police say they were located safe just
after ten Wednesday morning. Police issued the alert shortly after
the children were reported missing late Tuesday night. The search
continued through the overnight hours. Police did not immediately disclose
exactly where they were found. Nevin is now with Child

(00:42):
Protective Services, Snaya is in custody. Police would not confirm
whether a gun was ever recovered. Their guardian, Dominica, who
didn't want her last name used, tells WISN she reported
the children missing after getting a frightening phone call.

Speaker 2 (00:55):
I wouldn't hear I get caught in a station. Now,
you came in there waving a gun at them? Would
a gun point a gun at them? And she snatched
Neving up out the bed and left out the hospital. Nevin.

Speaker 1 (01:04):
Other relatives strongly dispute her claims. The children's aunt, LaToya McKinney,
tells the TV station the alert was based on false
information made.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
Up a pole story, basically an embreller lie that my
little niece was arm and dangerous and she was not.
They left because they were getting abused in a home.

Speaker 1 (01:23):
Clarifying here, it was not an Amber alert. Milwaukee police
said the case did not meet the criteria. It was
issued under Wisconsin's Purple Alert system, which was created under
the Prince Act, passed after the twenty twenty three death
of five year old Prince McCree. The law broadens alert
criteria for younger children and removed some requirements tied to
confirm suspect information to allow faster public notification. Dominica denied

(01:48):
claims that the children fled because of abuse. She said
relatives accused her of mistreating the children, and described those
claims as untrue.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
For them to make accusations on mean, about them getting
beat on, about them not eating, about my house being dirty,
you know that's real, up, that's stuff real. When I
took them in to take.

Speaker 1 (02:06):
Care of them, the initial urgency of The search was
heightened by the weather conditions in Milwaukee. Police and family
members feared for the children's safety because of the cold
temperatures at the time they were reported missing. Those conditions
raised concern about possible exposure. During the overnight hours before
the children were found. Residents reported leaving their homes to
search nearby streets and neighborhoods after receiving the emergency notification

(02:29):
on their phones. Police save before the children vanished. The
older child was wanted in connection with a separate matter
involving alleged battery to a police officer. Because the child
is a minor, officials released limited public details. Police continued
to investigate the circumstances that led to the report and
the children leaving the home. The department has not released
further details about possible charges. More crime and Justice news

(02:53):
after this. A suspect is now in custody in Virginia
in the long unsolved federal pipe bomb case tied to
the January sixth capital attack. Federal agents made the arrest
early this morning after nearly five years of investigation. Authorities

(03:13):
believed the suspect planted two live pipe bombs outside the
headquarters of the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National
Committee on the night of January fifth, twenty twenty one.
Both bombs were found the next day as violence erupted
at the capitol. Investigators said the explosives were viable. They
were capable of causing serious injury or death, though neither

(03:33):
device detonated. One bomb was discovered near the DNC as
then Vice President elect Kamala Harris was inside the building.
She was evacuated. Police resources were diverted just as rioters
began breaching security at the capitol. According to NBC, the
suspect is identified as Brian Cole. He was taken into
custody without incident. The exact charges have not yet been

(03:54):
fully detailed. The arrest follows a recent internal review of
evidence that had already been collected in twenty two, twenty
one and twenty two. Ms NOW reports the breakthrough did
not come from new tips. It came from investigators re
examining material already in FBI possession. The investigation is one
of the largest in FBI history. Agents reviewed about thirty
nine thousand video files. They conducted more than one thousand interviews,

(04:17):
analyzed hundreds of tips. The Bureau also subpoena retailers for
records of battery connectors and bomb components. It later reviewed
sneaker purchases after identifying the suspect shoes as Nike Airmax
Speed Turf. The reward for information was raised to five
hundred thousand dollars in twenty twenty three, but for years,
the lack of an arrest has fueled conspiracy theories. Some

(04:39):
claimed the bombs were an inside job meant to divert
law enforcement during the Capital attack. Last month, the FBI
publicly rejected another theory that accused a former Capitol police
officer based on what's called a gate analysis. That's the
study of how a person walks, using movement patterns of
the legs, hips, and posture to help identify or distinct

(05:00):
quish an individual. That former police officer calls the allegation
false and defamatory. The investigation has long been a focus
of Deputy Director Dan Bongino. Before joining the bureau, Bongino
had publicly argued the bomber's identity was being concealed. Federal
officials now say there is no evidence the FBI ever
covered up the suspect's identity. While many January sixth rioters

(05:21):
have since received presidential pardons. Those pardons do not apply
to the pipe bomb suspect. The bombing case remains a
separate federal investigation tied to domestic terrorism. For the latest
crime and justice news, follow crime alerts early update on
your favorite podcast app with this crime alert. I'm Drew Nelson.