A Virginia man and woman were arrested in Pennsylvania Tuesday as police continue to search for a young girl.
According to the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office, police arrested Candi Royer and Travis Brown without incident at a Knight’s Inn motel in South Greensburg. Virginia authorities issued a warrant for the pair on child abuse and endangerment charges and worked with Pennsylvania investigators to bring them into custody.
WY Daily reports that 3-year-old Khaleesi Cuthriell was reported missing when the child’s currently incarcerated mother, Amanda Arey, contacted a jail employee with concerns.
Arey reportedly said she allowed Royer to take care of Khaleesi, even drawing up a written diversionary agreement with the assistance of social workers. Arey said she then heard that Royer’s aunt had been taking care of the child and also heard a grandmother was watching her.
When police started searching for the child, they realized that no one could provide information on Khaleesi’s whereabouts or who was taking care of her.
Although it was initially reported that Khaleesi has been missing since February, ACSO later said that was false. At this time, the exact last sighting of the child remains unclear.
“Several friends and family of Royer also reported to investigators being told this by Royer, and that the child has not been seen with Royer since February of this year. Investigators later determined this to be untrue, and that Khaleesi Cuthriell’s whereabouts are currently unknown,” ACSO Sheriff Donald L. Smith wrote on Facebook.
Meanwhile, Khaleesi remains missing, and search efforts are underway to find her.
“Our investigation into the disappearance of three-year-old Khaleesi Cuthriell is active, and continues,” ACSO Sheriff Donald L. Smith posted on Facebook.
“While we are pleased that Mr. Brown and Ms. Royer are in custody, the men and women of the Augusta County Sheriff’s Office will not rest until we discover the whereabouts of 3-year-old Khaleesi.”
At the time of his arrest, Brown was wanted in Virginia on several other unrelated charges, including strangulation, family assault, battery, contempt of court, grand larceny, and more. It’s unclear if Royer went willingly or not with Brown, but they were reportedly known to date in the past.
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[Featured Photo: Khaleesi Cuthriell/Police Handout]
