Advertisement Girl found safe in N.C., Amber Alert canceled Leanna Wilson in custody Share Shares Copy Link Copy

An Amber Alert for a missing Fitchburg girl has been canceled after the girl was found safe in Shelby, N.C., Massachusetts State Police said.Watch reportAlize Whipple, 5, was found unharmed at the home of a family member at about 3:30 p.m. Saturday, police said. She will be staying in a foster home temporarily until she can be transported back to Massachusetts, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said in a press conference.The alert was issued Friday night after the abduction of the girl from Fitchburg, Massachusetts State Police said."The Amber Alert helped greatly," Early said, adding that police received about 100 tips.Alize is believed to have been abducted by her non-custodial mother, Leeanna Wilson, 50, from Normandy Street in Fitchburg, police said. Wilson is in custody and will be charged with kidnapping and reckless endangerment, Early said. There are also allegations of abuse within the home, he said.Early said Wilson abducted Whipple after she got off the school bus on Wednesday. Wilson had recently found out that she would be losing custody of her child, Early said.Wilson has been "known" to the state's Department of Children and Families since the 1990s, Early said. The department had moved to seek custody of the child after visiting Whipple on Wednesday.Photos: Massachusetts Missing ChildrenPolice in Kittery, Maine said Saturday that after the Amber Alert was issued, they received two unconfirmed tips from people who said they saw the mother and daughter in town on Thursday and Friday. One tip said they were at a gas station, the other at a restaurant, Police Chief Theodor Short said.Kittery police have relayed the info to Fitchburg police, distributed flyers along Route 1 of the missing pair and have extra officers on the lookout, Short said.Authorities located the car they believed Wilson was operating -- a blue 1996 Buick Century with South Carolina plates JJT687 -- in Leominster, Mass. It is likely that someone else helped Wilson get to North Carolina, Early said.The car, located in a strip mall, was searched for several hours overnight before being towed.Debbie Jackson, the girl's aunt, told NewsCenter 5 she doubted Wilson would hurt Alize, but made a plea for her return home."Come on home, we are worried," she said.Alize was last seen wearing a pink top, pink petite pants and pink sparkly shoes. She was last seen on Wednesday at approximately 4:00 p.m.