A Springs, Arkansas mother told The North Carolina Beat that her son, 20-year-old Amir Isaiah Ellis, was kidnapped by two Hispanic males late Monday night,early Tuesday morning, May 16, 2023.
Jessica Ellis told The North Carolina Beat that she was at home on Wednesday when she received a text from Amir’s baby’s mother. Jessica said Amir’s baby’s mother told her that she had gotten a call from her bestfriend, who told her they received a call from a guy named Laron about Amir being kidnapped by two Hispanic men. Jessica said her son’s baby mother said Laron had dropped Amir off at a girl’s house named Takahi.
According to Jessica, Amir also is roommates with Laron.
Jessica said when she was first told that her son had been kidnapped and drugged out of the house with no shoes or cell phone, she was hesitant to believe it, citing that her son would never go anywhere without his cell phone.
I told her that we both know that Isaiah ain’t going nowhere without that cell phone, Jessica said. Not even 5 minutes later, my 17-year-old son called and asked me had I heard from Isaiah and I told him to calm down because he know how his brother is and I still didn’t think nothing about it.
After hearing from her 17-year-old son asking about his brother, Jessica said she told her son’s baby mother to tell the girl that called her to “call me.”
Instead, Jessica spoke to Laron, who The North Carolina Beat has identified as 26-year-old Charles Laron Smith. Jessica said Laron confirmed that her son had been kidnapped but was unsure why- if it happened Monday-she was just now finding out about it. Jessica said Laron told her he dropped Amir off at Tahkahi’s place around 1 am, early Tuesday morning, and he started receiving calls around 1:30 am.
Jessica said she believes Laron is lying about his times, and according to her, a neighbor’s surveillance camera caught Laron’s car coming to drop Amir off at Tahkahi’s house at 1:40 am.
He’s lying, Jessica said. I saw his car on a neighbors camera who lives on Rocky Reef Circle that shows his car at 1:40 am coming to drop my son off.
According to Jessica, Laron gave her the address of where her son was kidnapped.
Jessica said Wednesday night, she went to the home on Rocky Reef Circle where her son had been kidnapped and spoke to Takahi’s family. The North Carolina Beat has identified the girl as Takahi Shelby. But, according to Jessica, the family told her, no one called 911 because “someone said not to.”
I asked them who the “somebody” was and reminded them that someone broke into their house, so why wouldn’t you call 911? Jessica said. They told me they don’t know if they locked the door or not when I asked them how somebody got into their home.
According to Jessica, Takahi told her that she went to the bathroom, and the men went to her room and started jumping Amir before dragging him out of the house and kidnapping him.
When I asked her how the guys got into her room, she said she didn’t know.
The North Carolina Beat spoke to Laron, who said he dropped Amir off at Takahi’s house “around one something” before Takahi called him around 1:30, saying two Hispanic guys ran into her house, beat Amir, and kidnapped him.
When we asked Laron if he knew Takahi, he hesitated and said, “yeah.”
He wanted to go over there, Laron said. He said, ‘I don’t even like black girls but drop me off at this black girl’s house.’ He told me who house we was at after I asked him and as he was telling me, I knew the girl.
Laron said the night he got the phone call about Amir being kidnapped; he asked Takahi if the men were on foot or car, to which he said she told him they were on foot.
She first said were on foot, Laron said. Then she switched her story and said they was in a dark-colored car and it could be black, red, maroon, or burgundy.
According to Laron, Amir had allegedly robbed “some Mexicans” and said that he heard a photo of Takahi and one of the guys Amir robbed, who happened to be one of the men who kidnapped Amir, was circulating on social media.
Laron said he had yet to see the photo.
If you have information on this Amir’s whereabouts, please contact 202-982-6172 or 911.
If you have a story you think the public should know about, send it to [email protected]
Follow me, Gerald, on Instagram @iiamgj and Facebook @TheOfficialGeraldJackson
[…] Speaks Out – ABC7 Authorities Seek Help to Locate Missing HS Man – Malvern Daily Record Woman Says 2 Hispanic Men Kidnapped Her Son – North Carolina Beat Search Underway For Missing Man, Hot Springs Police Say – THV11 […]
“‘I don’t even like black girls but drop me off at this black girl’s house.”
LOL. Let them white girls look for him. Black women, this ain’t your fight. 🤷🏿♀️. Stand down.
The city in this article is wrong. It is Hot Springs
It’s not good that when you accidentally touch a reaction you didn’t intend to touch you can’t undo it. This is tragic and I pray he’s found safe.
I hope he is returned to his family. Well isn’t this a mess! However… if he robbed someone and they retaliated doesn’t mean he was set up! The streets have consequences
Hot Springs Arkansas isn’t like most “streets”. Unfortunately this type of behavior has become more prevalent in Hot Springs. It has nothing to do with a robbery, but likely a gang thing, like my grandson’s shooting.