The search for a missing 2-year-old boy and his mother came to a heartbreaking close Saturday nearly 800 miles from their New Jersey home.
Prosecutors confirmed 2-year-old Sebastian Rios was safely located that morning in Monterey, Tennessee, where his father, Tyler Rios, was arrested by local authorities. Charges are pending for Rios and he waits extradition back to New Jersey.
The body of the boy's mother, 24-year-old Yasemin Uyar, was also found in Tennessee, her mother confirmed to News 4 late Saturday.
"This is probably the hardest few days of our lives," Karen Uyar said. "[Sebastian is] happy, he's playing right now. He's obviously confused, asking for mommy."
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Nearly 36 hours earlier, Sebastian Rios and Yasemin Uyar were reported missing Friday morning after the toddler did not show for daycare and his mother missed work. New Jersey State Police issued an AMBER Alert that afternoon for the boy's possible abduction and later expanded to include Pennsylvania.
The timeline of events is still unclear as New Jersey authorities have yet to confirm the recovery of Uyar's body. Prosecutors in Union County had said the mother was still missing when her son and the boy's father were tracked down Saturday morning.
“While we are relieved that Sebastian Rios has been found safe and that Tyler Rios is in custody, we are still urging anyone with information about the whereabouts of Yasemin Uyar to come forward and tell us what they know, even anonymously,” Acting Prosecutor of Union County Lyndsay Ruotolo said in a statement Saturday.
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But while the circumstances leading up to Uyar's death remain in the dark, her family believes her alleged abductor planned to hide out with family in Georgia. Karen Uyar says her daughter suffered a violent past with Rios and was currently on probation.
"I would like to say that it's something we never thought would happen but when you live with a child that's going through a domestic violence relationship for a long time, it is something you learn to know it's going to happen at some point. You always hope it isn't, you always pray that it isn't," Karen Uyar said.
Authorities have not released details surrounding Uyar's death and charges are still pending for Tyler Rios. Information for his attorney was not immediately known.
