Two good Samaritans scrapped their day plans when they heard about an abducted baby and drove an hour from Hampton, Georgia, to join the search effort. Miraculously, they located the missing girl on the porch of an unsuspecting homeowner.
Donnie Howell and Michael Thomas felt personally compelled to help search for missing 1-year-old Royalty Grisby after she was snatched in the early hours of March 18. Royalty’s mother, Elizabeth, a food delivery agent with Uber Eats, was making a delivery in Stone Mountain, DeKalb County, at around 2 a.m. when a suspect drove away in her keyless maroon 2010 Nissan Armada SUV with the baby inside.
As the little girl had gone missing, DeKalb County Police Department issued an amber alert. The SUV was later found abandoned at 9 a.m., but with no sign of Royalty.
With Howell’s window down and no music playing, he and Thomas heard the cry that would herald Royalty’s rescue.
After following the story, homeowner Anna Henderson claimed she “almost fainted” when the little girl turned up on her property.
Hours after the abduction, Royalty was safely back in her mother’s arms and later declared healthy at a hospital.
However, Howell and Thomas had to convince the authorities of their role in the rescue. “They didn’t believe us originally ... the story’s wild,” said Howell, adding, “There’s good people out there.”
“I’m very blessed that God has put Royalty and her mother back together,” he further added.
After some questioning, both Howell and Thomas were released.
