Man wanted in connection with Nevada Amber Alert arrested in Palmdale; child found safe

PALMDALE, Calif. (KABC) -- A 5-year-old girl who was allegedly abducted in Nevada has been found safe, and her father was arrested in Palmdale, authorities said Tuesday.

Amaya Meithof was taken by 41-year-old Christopher Meithof Sunday morning in Carson City, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

According to the Carson City Sheriff's Office, the incident began when deputies responded to the child's home for a child custody dispute.

The girl's mother told deputies she had allowed Meithof to stay with her overnight so he could visit their daughter.

The woman said when she woke up that morning, Meithof and Amaya weren't home, according to authorities.

Deputies began searching for the father and child, tracking Meithof's Jeep Grand Cherokee on local traffic cameras and calling his phone, which went straight to voicemail, investigators said.

"Using information gained through the multi-jurisdictional investigation, the U.S. Marshal's Pacific Southwest Fugitive Task Force, the Homeland Security Investigations Los Angeles Division, and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Office Major Crimes Bureau conducted a traffic stop in Palmdale, California, on a vehicle and recovered the missing Carson City child," the sheriff's office said.

Amaya was found safe and unharmed.

Deputies said Meithof wasn't with the child at the time and he was later located a nearby home, close to where the traffic stop was conducted.

Meithof was arrested without incident and remains custody at the L.A. County Sheriff's Department Palmdale station, pending extradition to Nevada.

Amaya is in the care of Palmdale Child Protective Services, which will help facilitate the child's return to her mother.

If you have any information is urged to contact Detective Bruce Pendragon with the Carson City Sheriff's Office at 775-283-7856.