Deputies: Boy abducted in 2016 found safe in Orange County

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A 5-year-old boy who was abducted by his mother in 2016 was found safe with her at her cousin's Orange County home, the Orange County Sheriff's Office said.

Christina Hale abducted Matthew Hale on Sept. 1, 2016, Orange County Master Deputy Ingrid Tejada-Monforte said.

A Massachusetts court had granted Matthew's father full custody of him and police issued a warrant for Christina Hale's arrest in June 2017, Tejada-Monforte said.

Deputies said the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received an anonymous tip that the mother and her son were living in Orange County.

Investigators said they conducted hours of surveillance on the home before arresting Hale on Tuesday.

Hale lived at her mother's home in Webster, Massachusetts, before moving to Maine, official said.

Hale's cousin, Warren Hale, told Channel 9 on Wednesday that she had been living at a women's shelter and living with another relative before moving to Florida.

He said she had been living with him since December and had showed him paperwork that said she was granted custody of her son.

Warren Hale said he was unsure why his cousin and her son needed to stay with him.

"My heart was taken in the moment I saw Matthew, and I wanted to make sure they were taken care of," he said.

Warren Hale said his cousin gave him a suitcase filled with court documents.

"She asked me, 'If anything happens to me or the child, make sure the attorneys get this,'" he said.

Deputies said the Florida Department of Children and Families took custody of Matthew and will coordinate a reunion with his father, who lives in New York.

They said Christina Hale will be extradited to Massachusetts, where she is expected to be charged with kidnapping.

Cox Media Group