2-year-old safe, woman arrested after child’s abduction from Virginia church, cops say
A 2-year-old boy was found safe after a reported abduction from a church nursery in Virginia on Sunday, officials said.
Authorities rescued Noah Trout from a home in Allegheny County and arrested Nancy Renee Fridley, a 44-year-old Clifton Forge woman, the Giles County sheriff said at an afternoon press conference. Fridley was charged with abduction and felony child endangerment.
Still, many questions remain.
“Even though Noah has been rescued, the investigation is still ongoing,” the sheriff said.
Authorities descended on the Allegheny County home after learning of “a person of interest.” FBI agents and Virginia State Police officers set up a perimeter, and after spotting a child matching Noah’s description, moved in and found him alive and physically unharmed, the sheriff said.
“We have been unable to determine a motive in Noah’s abduction,” the sheriff said.
Noah Trout was inside Riverview Baptist Church in Ripplemead at about noon when an unidentified person led him from the building, the Giles County Sheriff’s Office said. The area is roughly 60 miles west of Roanoke and near the West Virginia border.
“The child is believed to be in extreme danger,” Virginia officials said Sunday in an Amber Alert.
Officials said Monday afternoon that Noah was safe but shared few other details. Deputies are expected to give an update in the case at a 4:30 p.m. news conference.
At the time of his disappearance, authorities released a photo that shows an unknown woman wearing a blue jacket, jeans and a beanie hat.
Riverview Baptist Church said it canceled Sunday evening services and asked for prayers for the family of the missing toddler. A “suspicious vehicle” had been near the church’s parking lot, the church said in a Facebook post.
This story was originally published May 3, 2021 at 8:53 AM with the headline "2-year-old safe, woman arrested after child’s abduction from Virginia church, cops say."
