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SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah Amber Alert for an infant girl who authorities say was taken Wednesday afternoon by her birth mother, who does not have legal guardianship of the girl, is still in effect as of Thursday morning.
Three-week old Audrey Westfall, of Clinton, was taken sometime before 5:12 p.m. Wednesday by her birth mother Taylor Cheylene Webb, 25, according to Clinton police.
Audrey has brown hair and blue eyes, the Amber Alert said. Police say she was in a gray baby carrier with a green-and-pink quilted blanket. The pair were last seen earlier in the afternoon in Clinton, according to Clinton police Lt. Shawn Stoker.
"We feel this baby may be in danger," Stoker said. "We want to verify that she is safe and that all parties are safe."
Stoker said he did not know if Webb had made any specific threats to harm herself or others, but said circumstances of the case led police to be concerned the child may be harmed.
Webb is described as white, 5-foot-5 and 130 pounds, according to a news release from Clinton police. She wears glasses and has long dark hair, which she may be wearing in a bun, police said.
Webb is from Modesto, California, and police believe she may have been headed that way, but they do not know how she is traveling there. She did not have access to a vehicle in Clinton, but police pinged a phone which indicated she may be traveling toward Modesto, Stoker said.
Not knowing Webb’s mode of transportation has widened the scope of the investigation, Stoker noted.
She also may have had a head start of several hours before authorities began the search, Stoker added. Modesto is an 11- or 12-hour drive from Clinton, so there is a large amount of area and mileage where Webb could be headed, he said.
Utah Amber Alert sent for 3-week-old girl missing from Clinton, police searching for mother
Police say an infant was abducted by her 25-year-old biological mother, who is likely taking her to Modesto, California.Police have made multiple attempts to contact Webb but have not been able to communicate with her so far, Stoker said.
Webb was last seen wearing a gray shirt and jacket, black yoga pants and black-and-white Avia shoes, according to police. Webb also has a tattoo on her right collarbone that says “exhale the negative,” and another tattoo on her left collarbone that says “inhale the positive,” according to police.
They say Webb took Audrey from the home of the child's maternal grandmother, who has court-ordered guardianship of the child. She is not allowed to be alone with the child and is not allowed to take the child out of state, Stoker said.
He did not have further information about Webb's relationship with Audrey or why she does not have guardianship of the child, but did say police are looking into multiple leads and tips, including the possibility that Webb had complications during childbirth which led to her mother having custody of the infant.
As of Thursday, there were no pending charges against Webb, Stoker said. Any potential criminal charges would be worked out though the Davis County Attorney’s Office, he said.
Police said most of the information they’ve received has come from the grandmother who is “very worried” and “very concerned,” Stoker said.
Stoker added that police would like to talk to Webb and get the full story.
“There’s still a lot of questions that we have, there’s a lot of information that we want to be able to corroborate and come to a clear understanding of what we’re dealing with here,” Stoker said.
He noted that safety of the infant is the main priority and what police are most concerned with.
At this time, police don’t know Webb’s intent, “we’re just really wanting to make sure that the child’s OK,” Stoker said.
The Amber Alert was sent out late Wednesday night directing people to dial 511 for more information; however, some people had issues calling 511, receiving either a busy signal or an automated message that said there was trouble connecting.
Anyone with information about Audrey is asked to call Clinton police at 801-451-4141, the Davis County non-emergency phone line at 801-451-4151, or call 911.
Police in Clinton are also working with authorities in Nevada and California in the case, Stoker said.
Contributing: Steven Breinholt and Sean Moody, KSL TV
