Missing Iowa Child Discovered at Indianapolis Gas Station
INDIANAPOLIS – An 11-year-old child taken by a non-custodial parent has been found safe in Indianapolis early this morning.
The Indiana State Police (ISP) received a call at 2 a.m. from a detective with the Iowa City Police Department regarding a child abduction that occurred on October 20, 2024.
The detective informed ISP that the child’s non-custodial parent was believed to be heading to the East Coast, likely traveling through Indiana.
“We rely a lot on investigative technology, and they were able to use that technology to relay information to us,” said Sgt. John Perrine. “Our troopers were able to get into the area where they believed the suspect was located.”
Listen: State Police Sergeant John Perrine provides insights into the case.
Troopers, with limited suspect details, searched the interstates. At 2:39 a.m., an Indiana State Police trooper found a gray 1999 Pontiac Grand Prix parked at a gas station on Lafayette Road near I-65, where a child and two adults were inside.
Ronique Pittman, from Goldsboro, North Carolina, was taken into custody on an Iowa arrest warrant for child abduction by a non-custodial parent.
“She is being held in the Marion County Jail,” Perrine added. “Any extradition for her will be worked out between the two municipalities—Iowa and Marion County—on how she gets back to Iowa.”
The child was transported to the Indiana State Police Post in Indianapolis and later handed over to the Department of Child Services for reunification with the custodial parent.
The primary agency handling this case is the Iowa City Police Department.
