Children found safe, woman in custody after Amber Alert issued in Mid-Missouri
Ryan Shiner
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A woman is in custody after a search was conducted by law enforcement after they issued an Amber Alert on Thursday afternoon.
The alert was canceled at 4:42 p.m. Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop A spokesman Justin Ewing said troopers stopped the blue 2005 Lincoln Aviator and detained the woman. MSHP also confirmed in a follow-up alert that the children were found safe.
A social media post from MSHP says 24-year-old Joy Ariel Smith was with the children when they were found.
AMBER ALERT 2025-9 CANCELLED: CHILDREN HAVE BEEN LOCATED SAFE AND THE SUSPECT IS IN CUSTODY pic.twitter.com/OkEbYn72dB
— Missouri State Highway Patrol Alerts (@MSHPAlerts) December 18, 2025
A social media post from the Columbia Police Department, posted just before 11 p.m., states two children, 1 and 3 years old, were reported as kidnapped around 3:45 p.m. from the 1600 block of N. Providence Road. An Amber Alert was issued immediately, accoridng to the department.
Columbia police say MSHP located the car on I-70 near the Higginsville exit around 4:30 p.m. and got the children out of the car safely. Smith was arrested by CPD on charges of two counts of first-degree kidnapping and one count of first-degree tampering.
MSHP originally sent the Amber Alert at 4:18 p.m., looking for a Lincoln Aviator that was heading westbound on Interstate 70. The notification was sent out in the jurisdictions of MHSP’s Troop F – which covers much of Mid-Missouri – and Troop A, whose coverage area is in the western part of the state.
In Missouri, an Amber Alert is activated when the following happens:
Law enforcement officials have a reasonable belief that an abduction has occurred, which meets the definition in RSMo. 565.110 or 565.115.
Law enforcement officials believe there is a credible threat of serious bodily injury or death.
Enough descriptive information exists about the victim and the abductor for law enforcement to issue an AMBER Alert.
The victim of the abduction is a child age 17 years or younger.
The child’s name and other critical data elements – including the child abduction (CA) flag – have been entered into the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) system.
According to online court records, Smith was charged with fourth-degree assault in November. She posted bond on Dec. 10. A probable cause statement says a victim told police that Smith’s biological son was placed with their mother by Children’s Division and that Smith did not have custody of the child.
Court documents claim someone tried to take the child back after it was placed in the car with Smith, which led to Smith allegedly shutting the door on the person and punching them. Smith told police that she did not touch the victim, court documents say.
AMBER ALERT 2025-9 WEA: COLUMBIA I-70 WESTBOUND BLUE 2005 LINCOLN AVIATOR MO PLATE GL7B2S Updates will be posted as they are known. Refresh this page or click the following link to ensure that you are viewing the latest alert information: https://t.co/UoXX3KdhG2
— Missouri State Highway Patrol Alerts (@MSHPAlerts) December 18, 2025
According to data from the Missouri Department of Public Safety, from Dec. 1, 2024, through Nov. 30, 2025, Missouri issued a total of eight AMBER Alerts for 11 children. All 11 children were found safe.