Advertisement Timothy Virts arrested; Girl found safe after Amber Alert Maryland Amber Alert expands into nationwide search Share Shares Copy Link Copy

The father and daughter subject of an Amber Alert in Maryland were found late Friday night in South Carolina, according to Baltimore County police.County police said late Friday night that Timothy Virts and his 11-year-old daughter were found at the Colonial Inn in Florence, S.C.Timothy Virts was taken into police custody and the girl appears to be unharmed. Timothy Virts' return is pending an extradition process, and the girl will be returned home as soon as possible. Baltimore County social services officials are in contact with their counterparts in South Carolina.County police said investigators believe that the two being located is a direct result of the expanded Amber Alert. Baltimore County Police Chief Jim Johnson said Saturday morning that the motel clerk, using social media, found out about the Amber Alert, checked their logs and alerted authorities. The chief cited the media and social media -- "citizen keyboard crime fighters" -- with the safe resolution of this search."Virts was arrested without incident and will be extradited to Maryland for prosecution," Johnson said.Detectives are traveling to South Carolina to continue the investigation.The search had expanded nationwide Friday as the U.S. Marshal's Office and the FBI got involved. The FBI issued a warrant Friday for Timothy Virts' arrest for unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, which gives federal authorities anywhere in the United States the ability to arrest Virts. Johnson said he believes the outcome would not have been the same without the FBI's early involvement."I have never seen greater degree of cooperation in my 36 years," Johnson said of the collaboration with the FBI.In Maryland, the investigation led Baltimore County police to issue a first-degree murder warrant for Timothy Virts in the death of the girl's mother, Bobbie Jo Cortez."This was a very violent, brutal murder," Johnson said Saturday morning."The probable cause for this warrant is based on interviews with the other people who were in the house at the time as well as physical evidence at the scene," police spokeswoman Elise Armacost said.Johnson said there was no motive determined for the homicide of Bobbie Jo Cortez, but they believe Timothy Virts is the suspect. Police believe they have the murder weapon.Children's mother found dead in bedroomIt was Thursday morning when police responded to Cortez's Dundalk home in the 3100 block of Ardee Way. Investigators discovered Cortez dead in her bedroom with multiple cut wounds to her upper body.Police believe after Cortez was killed, Virts kidnapped his 11-year-old daughter, who was staying in the home with her twin sister, a male child of Cortez's and two other adults. Maryland State Police issued an Amber Alert at 10:46 a.m. Thursday.Cortez's death is being investigated as a homicide. Police said Friday that Cortez died as a result of sharp force injury and that she had multiple cut wounds to her upper body. Police said they believe the children and the two other adults were in the house when Cortez was killed, Armacost said Friday.Police said Cortez had allowed Virts to stay with them in their home for the past several weeks.Police said they believe Virts and his daughter were in a 1999 black Dodge Durango with Maryland license plates 5AJ4458. New information indicated that there is a Washington Redskins sticker in the upper right back window and a Baltimore Ravens sticker on the left back window. There is also a stick-figure zombie family on the bottom window and a bumper sticker that reads "Protected by witchcraft."The truck is registered to Cortez's husband, Daniel Cortez, who is in jail on sex abuse of a minor charges; however, police said his crimes had nothing to do with the motive in this case right now."Our detectives do not believe, at this time, that there is any connection between Daniel Cortez and his criminal history and this homicide case," Armacost said.If you have any information that can help investigators, you're asked to call 911 or Baltimore County police at 410-307-2020.Police had received thousands of tips from the public, but none panned out. Tips were coming in every hour and all are being followed up.Sources had indicated that Virts has a connection to two counties in West Virginia, but police said there is no evidence Virts ever traveled to or is in West Virginia.Family reacts to discovery"I was so happy when I heard, I was so happy and I want to thank everybody so much," said Anna Goodwin, the girl's grandmother. "I want to hug her!"Goodwin told 11 News late Friday night that she was waiting by the phone as she had been for more than 24 hours."It has been hard. The tension and waiting and wondering, it has been hard, but now I'm happy that they found her and she's fine," Goodwin said.Goodwin expressed thanks for the Amber Alert, the numerous tips into investigators and for everyone who helped out with the search."That's all that was running in my head, just please God, please God, don't let nothing to happen to her, just please bring her back, please, and yes, he heard me," Goodwin said."I am very happy that she's safe," said the girl's grandfather and Timothy Virts' father, Peter Virts.He said that he's relieved and grateful. He was worried that the outcome would be much different."When the officer told me that they were both safe, like I told them, I'm not worried about my son, he's a grown man, I'm worried about her. Now we're going to have to wait for the process," Peter Virts said.Grandmother: 'It's a shock'Virts has been in and out of the court system, facing various assault and drug charges. He has had custody issues with Bobbie Jo Cortez, who was then Bobbie Jo Wallace, 11 News learned.Friday morning, WBAL-TV 11 News I-Team lead investigative reporter Jayne Miller spoke with Anna Trainor Goodwin, the grandmother of the girl and mother of Bobbie Jo Cortez.Goodwin's account is the result, she said, of what the 11-year-old sister of Caitlin Virts shared with her after discovering her mother's body on Thursday."It's a shock, it's a shock," Goodwin said. "She was going downstairs, went downstairs and she opened up the door to wake her up and that's when she seen the tape on her mouth and her tied up."Bobbie Jo Cortez was last seen alive Wednesday when, Goodwin said, Caitlin's sister got home from school."Wednesday morning, they seen her. When they came home Wednesday afternoon, she wasn't there. She wasn't nowhere upstairs. (The girl's sister) wanted to go downstairs after school to tell mommy how her day was and he wouldn't let her go, Mr. Virts wouldn't let her go down. This was Wednesday afternoon," Goodwin said.Goodwin's account suggests Virts may have allegedly killed Bobbie Jo Cortez on Wednesday and then taken off with his daughter, well before the Amber Alert was ever issued late Thursday morning.Virts and Bobbie Jo Cortez were involved in a custody matter. She had sole physical custody and Virts had visitation rights, but Goodwin said Bobbie Jo Cortez was trying to change that arrangement this week."The way I'm hearing it, she told him Wednesday morning that Wednesday was the last time he was going to see his kids and I don't know what happened after that," Goodwin said.Virts and Bobbie Jo Cortez were scheduled to be in court Thursday, according to the family, but the matter at hand is not on the public docket, that suggests a confidential proceeding dealing with the well-being of the children.