DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — The Vandalia Police Chief has confirmed that a woman caught on surveillance footage is the suspect in the ongoing Amber Alert investigation involving a missing child.
The photos can be seen below.
Vandalia Police Chief confirmed the woman in the photos is 24-year-old Nalah Jackson, the suspect from Columbus who stole a vehicle with twin boys inside.
An employee at the Park-N-Go said if he had known who she was and the alert was sent out sooner, he would’ve been able to alert authorities.
“Something about her that didn’t seem right and kind of weird,” said Mark. “Maybe we could have done something, and I know between James and I, we definitely would’ve done something if we had known. She was more than happy to sit here and chat with us, I know we could’ve held her for 10-15 minutes and someone snuck away to make a phone call.”
The Vandalia Police Chief said the black car parked in the background also matches the vehicle’s description in the Amber Alert. Employee Mark say he spoke with Jackson who asked for directions to the airport to pick up a friend from Germany. Also, claims Jackson pulled in and drove off with her lights off and seemed very disoriented.
It wasn’t until later in the morning when the alert was issued and law enforcement discovered one of the boys at the airport that the Park-N-Go employees reviewed their security tapes.
They said they handed it over to the FBI and law enforcement who told them they did, indeed speak with the suspect. The employee said he has children of his own, and if the alert had been sent sooner, he would’ve acted right away.
“I’m feeling disappointed and sad, and I just wish we would’ve known, it would be a different story this morning,” said Mark.
Jackson was also spotted at 11 p.m. Monday night at the United Dairy Farmers gas station in Huber Heights on Taylorsville Road where she reportedly asked an employee for money while driving the stolen 2010 Honda Accord.
UDF Shift Leader Emily Ryan says she spoke with Jackson before the Amber Alert was issued.
“If we saw it earlier, we could’ve done something, but we had no idea,” said Ryan. “I would’ve hit our silent alarm to alert police and keep tabs on the woman. I didn’t know until the next morning when I saw her picture plastered everywhere and I knew instantly that’s the lady that came in last night. We’re all kind of beating ourselves up about it.”
One of the twins remains missing and Jackson remains at large.