J’Asiah Mitchell, 2, is seen in pictures (via DeKalb County (Ga.) Police Dept.). Inset: Artavious Rashod North (via DeKalb County (Ga.) Sheriff’s Offce).
The father of a missing 2-year-old boy is under arrest after allegedly making a false report about his son’s kidnapping.
Artavious North, 23, is charged with making false statements and falsely reporting a crime, according to jail records from the sheriff’s department in DeKalb County, Georgia.
North had initially reported to police that the J’Asiah Mitchell was taken when North was robbed at gunpoint while he was at a stop sign, Atlanta ABC station WSB reported. J’Asiah’s mother, Asia Mitchell, reportedly got a phone call from North about the alleged kidnapping.
DeKalb County police, who initially believed that J’Asiah was kidnapped late Wednesday night, reversed course on Friday after putting out a call Thursday for help in finding J’Asiah.
“This evening the child’s father, 23-year-old Artavious North was arrested by the DeKalb County Police Department for False Statements and False Report of a Crime,” DeKalb police said Thursday night on X, formerly Twitter. “Our investigation found that there was no armed robbery nor kidnapping in DeKalb County.”
“The location of 2-year-old J’asiah Mitchell is still unknown,” the post also said. “At this time the East Point Police Department will be the lead investigating agency.”
East Point Police are reportedly searching the apartment complex where J’Asiah was last seen and drained a pond located at the complex on Friday, WSB reported.
On Wednesday, police posted two messages indicating that J’Asiah had been kidnapped.
“Please help us find 2-year-old Josiah Mitchell who was kidnapped at last night around 11:23p.m. near the 3300 block of Flat Shoals Road,” the DeKalb County Police Department had posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Anyone with information is urged to call 911 or 770-724-7850. We will provide updates as soon as we can.”
North initially told police that his son had been kidnapped. He reportedly told family members that a car had been trailing him as he left the apartment complex where the boy lived.
“Somebody pulled up on him while he was leaving out this neighborhood and held him at gunpoint and took my baby from him,” the boy’s mother said, according to Atlanta Fox affiliate WAGA.
J’Asiah was reportedly wearing Buzz Lightyear pajamas at the time.
“The car swerved in front of him as he was trying to leave out the entrance of the apartment complex, jumped out with guns asked him for something. He didn’t have it, so they took my grandson,” the boy’s grandmother said, according to WAGA.
WAGA reported that police have been searching the apartment complex where J’Asiah was last seen and are planning on searching a nearby landfill.
“Please bring my baby back safe and unharmed because he’s more than what you think he is. He has people who love him,” the boy’s mother said, according to WAGA. “I just want to get my baby. That’s it. He wasn’t a part of anything that was going on.”
“East Point Detectives are still actively searching for J’asiah Mitchell,” a spokesperson for the East Point Police Department told Law&Crime in an email. “We are following all leads as it pertains to this case.”
“We are asking anyone with information about this case to contact the East Point Police Department non emergency number at 404-761-2177,” the spokesperson added.
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