Amber Alert Issued For 9-Year-Old California Boy Allegedly Abducted By His Own Father [Updated]
Update: The Amber Alert stands cancelled after the boy was safely located.
An Amber Alert was issued on Tuesday after a 9-year-old boy went missing in Santa Maria, California. According to ABC7 Eyewitness News, the boy identified as Daniel Morozov was reportedly abducted by his father. The report also adds that Daniel’s father is also a person of interest in the slaying of the boy’s mother.
According to a statement issued by the Santa Maria Police Department, the sequence of events that led to the eventual issuance of the current Amber Alert is as follows.
On August 21, a group of officers from the Santa Maria Police Department were called to the scene of a shooting inside a home at 230 N College Drive. When the officers reached the home, they found the body of a deceased female with gunshot wounds on her body. The deceased female was identified as the mother of Daniel, the missing boy. After a brief investigation, the investigating officers deduced that Daniel who was living with his mother was missing and prompted the Amber Alert to be issued.
Daniel’s dad, the current suspect has been identified as 48-year-old Konstantin Morozov who stands approximately six feet tall and weighs 180 pounds. As for Daniel, he stands 4 feet 5 inches tall and weighs about 90 pounds. Daniel has brown hair and brown eyes. Initial investigations have indicated that both of them are travelling in a black 2017 Jeep Cherokee with a California license plate 7XZK698. Currently, the Amber Alert is in effect across Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Ventura counties, the California Highway Patrol confirmed.
Santa Maria #AmberAlert update: Suspect & boy now likely in black 2017 Jeep Cherokee. License plate: 7XZK698. More: https://t.co/E5utNbEeuX pic.twitter.com/9qKHReRjb3
— The Tribune (@SLOTribune) August 22, 2017
The duo initially left the crime scene in a blue 2015 Volkswagen Golf hatchback which was later found abandoned. At the time of publishing this report, it remains unclear where Konstantin is heading with his son. Santa Maria police officials confirmed that they are paying special attention to international airports and border crossings. The California Highway Patrol has also hinted about the possibility of Konstantin being armed and dangerous. For the same reason, in case you spot the two, kindly call 911. Officers have warned the general public not to approach Konstantin.
ACTIVE ?#AMBERAlert UPDATE Daniel and adult male may be traveling in a black 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee with CA plates 7XZK698. @SMPDHQ pic.twitter.com/PSrRtjaWr4
— National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (@MissingKids) August 22, 2017
Meanwhile, the shooting that happened on Monday is the first case of homicide for Santa Maria in 2017. While there have been violent crimes outside the city limits and within the jurisdiction of the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Department, the city of Santa Maria itself remained peaceful for the most part of 2017.
[Featured Image By Santa Maria Police Department]
