By AP/St. Louis Public Radio
St. Louis – A young girl taken from her western Missouri home by a stranger yesterday has been found safe.
The Iowa State Highway Patrol found two-year-old Syah Duffy during a vehicle stop in a Des Moines suburb around 5:45 Thursday evening.
Syah's mother turned the toddler over to a woman who showed up at their home in East Lynne, Mo., about 45 miles southeast of Kansas City, claiming to be from a state agency. Law enforcement officials said Syah's mother delayed calling authorities because she was trying to verify with family members why authorities would be taking the toddler.
The woman was driving a dirty white van with Iowa license plates. There was no additional information available on that woman, or about the two people in the van with Syah. It's not clear if the original woman was one of the two passengers.
Relatives told local media they believe the individuals have a connection to Syah's father, who has never met the toddler but speaks to her frequently.