A 3-year-old girl who was abducted more than six weeks ago has been returned to her family in time for Christmas.
Atlanta Police began investigating after being notified that Harmony Collins had been taken by her non-custodial father, Nickien Collins, without consent in early November.
The case was later passed to the department’s Fugitive Unit and assigned to Investigators Williams and D. Scott.
The pair “went to work, putting in countless hours gathering intel, conducting surveillance, and working with other law enforcement agencies” to determine the missing girl and the suspect were in Mississippi, the police department said on Facebook.
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On Wednesday, the child was returned safely to her legal guardians after Scott co-ordinated with federal authorities to arrest Nickien Collins.
In a post on Instagram, the girl’s mother said her family’s “world stood still” for the past six weeks. She said her daughter was “doing well and in good spirits” after returning home.
“My family is eternally grateful that our nightmare is over and everything turned out well in the end,” the post added.
Harmony Hill’s mother also praised the investigator who managed to locate the girl after working on the case for less than a week.
Atlanta Police “have a true GEM in” Scott, she wrote. “The case was just reassigned to her last Friday.”
She added that Scott had “reached out to our family and started working it on Monday. And she found Harmony on Wednesday… And before Christmas like she said she would!”
Atlanta Police Department
The Atlanta Police Department acknowledged the praise in a post on Facebook.
“We appreciate the family taking the time to acknowledge the work of Investigator Scott and to share it publicly,” the department said.
“Our officers and investigators pour their all into every case and are relentless in their effort to bring justice to victims and their families and to hold suspects accountable. This case is just another example of our commitment to public safety.”
Atlanta Police added that the department “is proud of the work of all the investigators and officers who assisted in Harmony’s safe return and thankful for the assistance of our local, state, and federal partners for their help in this case.”
The department’s post added: “We want to give special thanks to Investigators Scott, Williams, and Stoddard and the entire Fugitive team for their work on this case and the safe return of this precious little girl.”
The family and Atlanta Police Department have been contacted for additional comment.