Tacoma dad defends man at center of Amber Alert case involving 2-year-old

Tacoma dad defends man at center of an Amber Alert case involving 2-year-old

An Amber Alert for a kidnapped 2-year-old Tacoma girl was widely received over the weekend, but her parents told FOX 13 they want to "clear the air" about the incident.

SEATTLE - We all got that Amber Alert over the weekend, a 2-year-old girl kidnapped from Tacoma, but the girl's parents told FOX 13 there is so much more to the story, and they’re now hoping to clear the air about what happened.

Jayda Everett told FOX 13 that, at the end of the day, he believes that man did the right thing, he just went about it the wrong way. Everett has been defending his actions online and now on air, as well as the actions of the man who police arrested on Saturday, after he was found with Everett’s 2-year-old daughter, Delilah.

"This whole ordeal has been very intricate and complicated for me," Everett said.

Jayda Everett and his daughter, Delilah

The backstory:

It all started with an Amber Alert and the search for a silver sedan, which sparked community concern. Tacoma Police shared a post on Saturday morning that they were investigating a kidnapping.

What got people talking was this: A man said he found the 2-year-old outside near a Wendy’s. He took the child inside and tried to find her parents, but according to police, when an employee said they would call the police, the man took the 2-year-old and drove off.

Thanks to a tip from the public, they found the man, took him into custody for questioning and then later arrested him on an outstanding warrant. Hours after Tacoma Police announced Delilah was found safe, her dad took to social media and said the man arrested did not kidnap his daughter but rather sheltered her, and that he is not a bad person.

The 2-year-old’s parents even helped bail the man out of jail.

Jayda Everett posts to social media following a weekend Amber Alert sent out for his daughter. 

What they're saying:

"He did the right thing, he may have went about it the wrong way, but at the end of the day, he tried to help the situation as much as he possibly could," Everett said.

His posts sparked comment after comment about his parenting and the man who was arrested. "I don’t want him to be painted as a wicked man," Everett said.

As for his daughter, Everett told FOX 13, she’s doing just fine. "My daughter came back unscathed," he said. "He helped us, so, it wasn’t anything to help him and if it wasn’t for the situation it was, he wouldn’t have been there in the first place."

Jayda Everett posts to social media following a weekend Amber Alert sent out for his daughter. 

While prosecutors are still deciding on whether that man faces any charges in the Amber Alert case, FOX 13 obtained court documents for the prior warrant he was wanted for. He is accused of obstructing a law enforcement officer and resisting arrest, according to the court records. 

In the case from 2023, troopers say he ran from them after they pulled him over. The man was 18 at the time and troopers found a gun, bullets and marijuana in the vehicle.

Amber alert canceled after 2-year-old girl found safe

A 2-year-old Tacoma girl, subject of an Amber Alert earlier today, was found safe and returned to her family. Police arrested a suspect, with the positive outcome attributed to community tips and law enforcement coordination.

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