The mother of an 8-year-old Clearwater girl who was the subject of an Amber Alert on Monday morning was found dead, and the father has been charged, according to the Largo Police Department.
Clearwater officers responded to a domestic battery case before 3 a.m. in the 2200 block of Nursery Road, according to the Clearwater Police Department.
Renato Muhaj, 34, allegedly attacked two family members at an apartment and took their cellphones so they couldn’t call police, according to Clearwater PD. Clearwater officers then reached out to the Largo Police Department for a welfare check on a woman and her 8-year-old daughter.
Largo officers went to the area of Clearwater Largo Road to make contact with Muhaj and found his ex, Suela Saliaj, 32, dead in an apartment where she lived with their 8-year-old daughter, according to police. They were unable to find the child.
A cellphone ping at about 8:30 a.m. in the area of Bellaire Road and St. Pauls Drive led police to a vehicle, where Muhaj and the girl were found unharmed, Largo police said.
“You almost never hear about the Amber Alerts actually, you know, getting caught or handled,” said Art Burnell, a neighbor. “So hearing that it did get handled and it’s the one that’s next to my house, I’m like, that’s nice.”
“This whole thing about this stuff is concerning,” said Steve Ives, another neighbor. “You know, the type of thing that’s involved.”
The girl was reunited with family members, and Muhaj was taken into custody, police said.
Muhaj was charged with first-degree murder, kidnapping and child abuse, according to Largo police.
Muhaj was also charged with two counts of aggravated assault, two counts of tampering with a witness and one count each of felony battery, false imprisonment and domestic battery in connection with the Clearwater investigation, police said.
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Source: wesh
