A Columbia woman is currently jailed without bond in Lafayette County, charged with two felony counts of kidnapping for Thursday’s incident that prompted a statewide Amber Alert. Online court records indicate 24-year-old Joy Ariel Smith is homeless and is on probation for assaulting her mother.
The Columbia Police Department’s two-page probable cause statement says Thursday afternoon’s incident started at about 3:45 at the Welcome Inn on North Providence. Court documents say the mother of the children was giving Smith a ride to a relative’s home and that the driver needed to stop to speak to the children’s father. The woman apparently left Smith in the vehicle to stay with the children and Smith allegedly stole the vehicle with the children, ages one and three, inside it.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol issued the Amber Alert and a state trooper saw the vehicle on westbound I-70 in Lafayette County. Court documents say the trooper tried to stop the vehicle, but that Smith fled. The trooper eventually was able to pull the stolen vehicle over. The children were found unharmed, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.
Court filings from Boone County prosecutors say that in addition to being convicted of assaulting her mother, Smith is charged with a November domestic assault for allegedly assaulting her brother. Smith was captured Thursday near I-70’s Higginsville exit, about 80 miles west of Columbia. CPD describes its investigation as ongoing, and they thank the Missouri State Highway Patrol and Boone County Sheriff’s deputies for their assistance in searching for the children.