Amber Alert issued for 5-year-old girl left unattended in running vehicle that was then stolen: Police

(AFFTON, Mo.) -- A 5-year-old girl is missing after she was left unattended in a running vehicle that was then stolen, authorities in Missouri said Monday.

An Amber Alert has been issued for Aleise Dawson, who was taken around 8 a.m. local time in Affton, Missouri, according to the St. Louis County Police Department.

"The vehicle has been recovered, but the child has not," the St. Louis County Police Department said.

The child started living with a guardian, who is believed to be a relative, within the past few weeks, according to St. Louis County Police Department spokesperson Vera Clay.

The guardian had placed the child in the car, gone inside a residence to get something and "came back out and the car was gone," Clay said during a press briefing on Monday.

Officers responded to search for Aleise, and the vehicle was located several blocks away, according to Clay.

It is unclear if the person who took the vehicle is known to the child and guardian, or if this was "completely random," Clay said. Police are treating it as an abduction, she said.

"There's a 5-year-old out there and no one knows where she is. So we are going to utilize every resource that we have available to our department," including helicopter air support, Clay said.

The police department said it does not have a photograph of the child, whom they described as a Black girl standing 2 feet 6 inches tall and weighing 60 pounds. She has four ponytails and was last seen wearing a pink T-shirt with the words "Flower Power" on it and blue shorts, police said.

Anyone with information is urged to call 636-529-8210 or 911.

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