The mother of a “missing” Illinois 4-year-old girl — later determined not to be missing at all — has been arrested for filing a false report in the case.
The Rock Island Police Department said Princess Ilunga, 37, called police on January 16 and reported that her car had been stolen with her daughter inside at the time. An Amber Alert was issued, as CrimeOnline reported, before the little girl was found safe nine hours later.
Ilunga made the call to police at about 6 a.m., and the child was found outside her home just before 3 p.m., police said
As authorities began investigating where the girl had been all day, they learned that Ilunga had intentionally hidden her inside while the search was on and issued a warrant for Ilunga’s arrest.
She was arrested in Wisconsin on Thursday during a traffic stop by the Wisconsin State Patrol, which stopped her for a suspended registration and an equipment violation before discovering the outstanding warrant.
All seven of Ilunga’s children were in the car at the time. They were taken to the Lake Mills Police Department until their father could be contacted. He took custody of the children that night.
Ilunga is being held in the Jefferson County jail pending extradition back to Illinois.
