After a tense manhunt that extended beyond Tennessee's borders, authorities have safely located an 8-month-old girl and her father, who is now in custody facing kidnapping charges. The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation broke the news early this morning that Mason McCullough and his daughter Sephrona were found in North Carolina following the issuance of an Endangered Child Alert. According to WECT, Topsail Beach Police were instrumental in the recovery, joining forces in a multi-state search operation.

Sephrona was reported missing after her mother, Shaylan Sutherland, permitted her father, Mason McCullough, to take the child to North Carolina on April 14, with the understanding that he would return the child about April 19. Their last communication occurred on a messaging app on April 17. WJHL reports that the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation noted that Mason McCullough was taken into custody and that the child was found safe.

The search, which culminated in the coastal area of North Carolina, was part of an extensive investigation. Topsail Beach Chief of Police Samuel Gervase described the challenge of searching a large area with few leads to WECT, saying, "So it’s a needle in the haystack until we get more information." His department had been on high alert, scrutinizing hotels and watching for vehicles with Tennessee registrations.

While the precise circumstances that led to the child's disappearance remain unclear, WVLT reported that the Kingsport Police Department said, "The circumstances of Sephrona’s disappearance do not presently meet the criteria for an Amber Alert." The department, while acknowledging the gravity of the situation, based its decisions on protocol. The joint efforts of multiple law enforcement agencies spanning two states underscore the severity with which authorities approached the search for Sephrona and her father.