A 3-year-old boy was found safe following an Amber Alert in Philadelphia while his father, who police say is a person of interest in the murders of the child's mother and grandmother, is now in custody.
The ordeal began Friday around 1:30 p.m. when Byron McDonald, II, 28, abducted his son from a home on the 2500 block of North Bancroft Street, police said. Around the same time, the boy's grandmother, Tamara Aikens, 50, was shot and killed at her home in the same area.
On Monday, at 9:07 a.m., the boy's 25-year-old mother was found inside a home on the 4800 block of North 8th Street, suffering a gunshot wound to the face. She was later pronounced dead at 9:31 a.m. Later that morning, an Amber Alert was issued for the woman's son who remained missing along with McDonald.
Investigators later found McDonald's car near the Aloft Philadelphia Airport Hotel along the 4300 block of Island Avenue and smashed a window to search for clues. A SWAT Team, police and firefighters gathered around the hotel as a barricade situation was declared.
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Police searched the hotel and found McDonald, his son and an unidentified woman inside a room on the fifth floor.
The boy was unharmed and McDonald was taken into custody shortly before 4 p.m. Neither McDonald nor the woman were injured, police said. The child was later placed with a family member.
Police have not yet announced charges against McDonald but said he is a person of interest in the murders of his son's mother and grandmother.
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Editor's note (11:50 a.m. on April 23, 2021): This story has been updated to reflect that authorities now say the child was 3 years old.
