(CNN) — The search for a 5-month-old baby entered its fourth day Thursday and investigators in Columbus, Ohio continue to plead with her alleged abductor to return the baby.
The toddler and his twin, Kason and Kyair Thomass, were inside a black 2010 Honda Accord Monday night as the mother grabbed an order from a restaurant while working as a DoorDash driver.
The mother, Wilhelmina Barnett, left the restaurant to find the car missing, along with her twins. Kyair was found abandoned near Dayton International Airport at around 4:15 am Tuesday.
Kason and Kyair Thomass. Credit: Columbus Ohio Police
Kason is still missing as of Thursday morning.
On Wednesday, the suspect identified as Nalah Jackson, 24, was charged with two counts of kidnapping. Jackson, who police said took the Honda with the twins outside the restaurant, was also not found.
“Nalah Jackson, please return Kason Thomass to us. Thank you for returning Kyair. You’ve already shown us that you can do the right thing. You can return it anywhere safe,” Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant said. Tuesday a press conference.
After the car was stolen, Jackson was seen on camera with the vehicle at a Huber Heights gas station, where she asked an employee for money, according to investigators. Police released surveillance footage of Jackson at the gas station and asked the public to call if they saw her, the child or the Honda.
Barnett and other family members searched the entire Dayton area for Kason Tuesday, including the gas station, he told CNN affiliate WSYX.
“I miss my kids. I miss their togetherness and their smiles,” she told WSYX.
She said she is concerned about her son’s safety and whether he is being fed.
“Kason loves to eat and that’s why I’m so worried. I know he’s freaking out. He eats so fast. He eats in 3-5 minutes,” Barnett said.
The alleged kidnapper was last seen at the airport, according to police.
Detectives are releasing new photos of the stolen 2010 Honda Accord that the suspect, Nalah Jackson, is suspected of driving. That vehicle was pulled from outside a Donatos in Short North. These photos show the temporary tag torn off and a Westside Toys bumper sticker. pic.twitter.com/1JvoMeL8kS
— Columbus Ohio Police (@ColumbusPolice) December 21, 2022
The vehicle has a torn Ohio license plate sticker on the rear bumper and a white one that reads “Westside City Toys”.
Authorities said the car is believed to have been in a previous accident and to have purple paint transfer and damage to the left side.
The last confirmed sighting of Jackson was at the airport, Columbus Deputy Police Chief Smith Weir said. There have been no confirmed sightings of Kason so far.
Investigators obtained surveillance video from the airport that showed Jackson asking people to let him use the phone, Weir said. Police have been able to contact some of those people, she added.
The vehicle Jackson is suspected of stealing was recently purchased and had no license plates and its VIN number was not on record, making it difficult to track, Weir said.
“We don’t have any sightings and that’s what frustrates us. This car has to be somewhere. This person has to be somewhere and I’m with a 5 month old so if people see anything that looks out of the ordinary,” we ask them to give us clues. We want to bring this baby home,” Columbus Police First Deputy Chief LaShanna Potts said Wednesday.
The twins’ grandmother, LaFonda Thomass, prayed for Kason’s return during a vigil Wednesday.
“If you look at it and you see something, you see a beautiful little boy who longs for his mother,” she said. “Please, please, please do the right thing and take my baby home.”
— Amanda Musa, Caroll Alvarado, and Tanika Gray contributed to this report.
