The child, Ella Abbott, was found around 3:30 a.m. in a vehicle in a wooded area in Charlton with her mother, Lee-Ann Abbott Rickheit. They were both conscious and alert when police found them.

The three-year-old Worcester girl who was the subject of an Amber Alert is safe and her mother is in custody and possibly facing criminal charges, State Police said Thursday.

Rickheit was taken to Saint Vincent Hospital, and Ella was taken to UMass Medical Center, State Police said.

“The exact charges against her will be finalized as the specific facts and circumstances are determined,” State Police wrote.

The Amber Alert was triggered Wednesday night after authorities learned that Rickheit had taken the girl from a Worcester home around 7:45 p.m., placing the child in “extreme danger.”


State Police said Rickheit made threats to hurt the child that evening.

Rickheit was traveling in a blue 2007 Hyundai Sonata, with Massachusetts license plate 4PG367.

Rickheit was familiar with Charlton and the Sonata was spotted on the Massachusetts Turnpike in the Central Massachusetts town prior to her being found in the woods, according to a radio broadcast of the alert.

Danny McDonald can be reached at daniel.mcdonald@globe.com.Felicia Gans can be reached at felicia.gans@globe.com.