1-Year-Old Girl Found Safe After AMBER Alert North Carolina Kidnapping Sparks Fiery Police Chase
A 1-year-old baby girl at the center of an AMBER Alert in North Carolina was rescued unharmed Wednesday after police chased the suspect across multiple counties in a tense pursuit that ended in flames.
Authorities confirmed that Iris Everly-Marie Fargis, just 1-year-old, was reported missing from Randleman, North Carolina, early Wednesday morning — setting off a statewide alert that had folks in Randolph and Sampson counties on edge.Â
Who Took the Baby?
Around 8 a.m. Wednesday, police were called to a home on Hanner Road in Randleman after reports of a possible kidnapping.
Witnesses said they overheard a heated argument between two people, which quickly escalated. That’s when 26–year-old Tyler Ray Toodle — who isn’t the baby’s biological father but allegedly had ties to the mother — grabbed 1-year-old Iris Everly-Marie Fargis and took off in a black 2018 Honda Civic.
Authorities later confirmed that Toodle had no legal custody or guardianship of the child, and the exact nature of his relationship with the mother remains unclear. His actions triggered a multi-county AMBER Alert and manhunt.
Law enforcement clocked Toodle’s vehicle on NC Highway 24 near Roseboro, and when they tried to stop him — he hit the gas. A high-speed police chase ensued that came to a fiery end. Deputies deployed stop sticks on Mitchell Loop Road, causing the suspect’s car to spin out and land in a ditch. Moments later, the vehicle caught on fire.
Baby Iris was pulled from the car uninjured and quickly reunited with her mother.
Toodle was taken into custody and is now facing multiple criminal charges across at least two counties. He has been charged with:
- Felony Flee/elude arrest with motor vehicle
- Felony possession of stolen motor vehicle
- Misdemeanor reckless driving–wanton disregard
- Misdemeanor driving while license revoked-not impaired revoked
- Misdemeanor resisting public officer
- Misdemeanor child abuse
He was issued no bond.
