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BOUNTIFUL — A mother who police say ran off with her autistic child whom she does not have custody of, was found Thursday morning with the boy in Midvale.
Both the mother and her 6-year-old son were in good conditions, said Bountiful Police Lt. Gary Koehn.
Heather Lee Martin, 24, was still being questioned by police late Thursday morning. Koehn did not know if she would be arrested and booked into jail or summoned to appear in court at a later date.
On Wednesday, police say Martin went into her son's elementary school in Bountiful and took her son, Riley James Martin. The boy was under protective custody of the state.
Based on tips that investigators received after the Martins' photos were displayed on local TV newscasts, police went to a house in Murray about 9:15 a.m. and found the mother and son sleeping inside, Koehn said. He did not know immediately who owned the house or whether anyone else was inside at the time.
The boy was placed back in state protective custody.
Utah court records show Martin was scheduled to be in 2nd District Court in Bountiful next week on unrelated misdemeanor charges of theft, drug and drug paraphernalia possession and interfering with an arrest.
In 2008, Martin was found guilty of disorderly conduct, an infraction, and ordered to pay a fine, court records state.
Police said the boy was originally ordered by a court to be placed in protective custody because of his mother's substance abuse problems and inability to properly care for him.
