Florida grandma in custody after allegedly kidnapping Tavares boy amid DCF case, police say

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Updated  December 16, 2024 9:50am EST
FOX 35 Orlando

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The Brief

    • A 5-year-old boy reported missing in Tavares, Florida, was found safe and in good health on Monday, according to police.
    • The Tavares Police Department said he was kidnapped by his grandmother, Kelly Day-Dasilva, on Sunday afternoon.
    • Day-Dasilva is in custody and will be transported to the Tavares Police Department for questioning.

TAVARES, Fla. - A Lake County boy who was allegedly kidnapped by his grandmother on Sunday has been found safe and in good health, the Tavares Police Department said Monday. 

An AMBER Alert was issued for 5-year-old Jace Saunders after he was taken by Kelly Day-Dasilva, prompting a statewide search, authorities said. Police said the boy, who has autism and is semi-verbal, was considered endangered.

2018 booking photo of Kelly Day-Dasilva (Credit: Tavares Police Department)

Additional details regarding where they were found were not immediately released. Day-Dasilva was taken into custody and transported to the Tavares Police Department for questioning.

The Tavares Police Department is expected to provide an update during a news conference at 11 a.m. 

What we know

On Sunday, police officers and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) responded to a home on Tara Drive in Tavares to remove Jace from a relative's custody so he could be turned over to DCF custody, according to the Tavares Police Department. Police did not specify who that relative was.

Jace was not at the residence and was reportedly on a golf cart ride with a family friend identified as Mitchell Morris. He was called and told to return Jace. Instead, police said Morris handed Jace over to Day-Dasilva at a park.

He was arrested on a charge of interference with child custody, police said. Jace's parents, Taylor Judy and Brandon Saunders, were also taken into custody on the same charge for "their lack of cooperation" in helping police find their son.

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The Source: The information provided in this article came from the Tavares Police Department and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.