UPDATE: Four juveniles and an 18-year-old man have been arrested in connection with the disappearance of a 4-year-old girl who later was found safe, according to a news release from Rock Island Police.

Shortly after 6 a.m. Thursday, a brown Saturn Outlook was stolen from the 1300 block of 14½ Street with 4-year old Blessing Aoci still in the back seat, police say. Officers responded to the area within minutes and started a search.

About 14 minutes later, the stolen SUV was found unoccupied in the area of 8th Street and 15th Avenue. Immediately, information and a picture were posted about the missing child on the
Rock Island Police Department’s Facebook page, which was shared just under 43,000 times, the release says.

Illinois State Police were contacted to issue an Amber Alert, which was later sent to cell phones by the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System (IPAWS) through the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

A command post was established in the area of 15th Street and 15th Avenue using the Illinois Law Enforcement Alarm System (ILEAS) Unified Command Post Vehicle. Officers canvassed the
area for Blessing while the Rock Island and Moline police and the Rock Island County Sheriff’s Office flew drones to try to find her.

Later, search efforts were focused on the blocks surrounding the area from which the car was stolen. They included voluntary searches of residences and property.

Assisting in the search were the Rock Island County Sheriff’s Department; Moline, Milan, Davenport and Illinois State police; the FBI,; the U. S. Marshals Service; neighbors and volunteers. For almost nine hours, teams of law enforcement and volunteers combed the neighborhood with no sign of Blessing.

Shortly before 3 p.m., Blessing was located in apparent good health. She was immediately reunited with her mother and then transported by the Rock Island Fire Department to Unity Point Trinity for evaluation.

The investigation into the details of the incident and her recovery is ongoing and more information will be released as it becomes available, the release says.

Rock Island Police made several arrests in connection with the case:

• Jaron Bailey-Harris, 18, faces charges of aggravated unlawful use
  of a weapon and possession of a stolen vehicle.
• A 16-year old boy faces charges of kidnapping and possession of a stolen vehicle
• A 16-year-old boy faces a charge of possession of a stolen vehicle
• A 15-year-old girl faces a charge of possession of a stolen vehicle
• A 14-year-old girl faces a charge of possession of a stolen vehicle.

“While this incident had the high potential to become an unbelievable tragedy, it ultimately
resulted in the best possible outcome, due large in part to the incredibly cooperative efforts
between the Quad City, state and federal law enforcement agencies working side by side with
concerned citizens and our media organizations,” said Rock Island Police Chief Tim McCloud. “I’m proud to have seen what we can accomplish when we all work together toward a common goal, and you all have my most sincere gratitude.”

The incident remains under investigation by the Rock Island Police Department’s Criminal
Investigation Division. Police ask anyone with information related to this case to contact the Rock Island Police Department at 309-732-2677 or Crime Stoppers at 309-762-9500 or use the
P3 Tips app

EARLIER UPDATE: An email from Amber Alert says Blessing Aoci has been located and is safe. We will have more information on this breaking story later.

EARLIER: The Rock Island Police Department said there were multiple vehicles stolen overnight in the city and provided a list of vehicles that have not been located:

White Dodge Dart – IL Plate “EG92693”

Tan Chevrolet Malibu – IA Plate “MMU635”

Gray Nissan Rogue – VA Plate “UEV4867”

Black Kia Sportage – IA Plate “OIZ261”

A reminder that Aoci was last seen wearing a light pink coat. The coat has a glittery butterfly on the front with a zipper down the middle of the butterfly. She also had a pink backpack.

UPDATE: The Rock Island Police Department posted an update to social media emphasizing that 4-year-old Blessing Aoci has not been found as of noon.

Police say “some misinformation that some are putting out on social media” suggested that she was.

“If there are any changes in this investigation, it will come directly from from the Rock Island Police Department,” the post concluded.

UPDATE: Rock Island Police Chief Tim McCloud cautioned against a public search party at a news conference Thursday morning.

UPDATE: Rock Island Police Chief Tim McCloud explained why the Amber Alert was sent during the news conference as opposed to when the police department first posted to Facebook around 7 a.m.

UPDATE: Rock Island Police Chief Tim McCloud held a news conference Thursday morning. You can watch that here:

Authorities said the primary vehicle of interest is a white Dodge Dart with Illinois license plate E69 2693.

Police also said other stolen vehicles have not been recovered yet, including a tan Chevrolet Malibu with Iowa license plate MMU 635, a grey Nissan Rogue, with Virginia plate UEV 4867, and a black Kia Sportage, stolen from Rock Island.

UPDATE: Relatives of a four-year-old girl who was in a vehicle that was stolen early Thursday arrived at the scene this morning. Blessing’s aunt, Vicky Aoci, spoke to Our Quad Cities News.

EARLIER UPDATE: Police in Rock Island need your help finding a four-year-old girl who was in a vehicle that was stolen this morning.

According to a post on the Rock Island Police Department’s Facebook page, a vehicle was stolen from the 1300 block of 14 ½ Street in Rock Island on Thursday, January 16 at about 6:07 a.m.

The vehicle was left running with a four-year-old girl in a car seat in the back seat. The vehicle was located at about 6:24 a.m., in the area of Eighth Street and 15^th Avenue. The girl was not in the vehicle and her current location is unknown.

The child is described as a 4-year-old Black girl, about three feet tall and weighing about 50 pounds, wearing a pink jacket, pink boots and blue pants. Her name is Blessing Aoci.

Surrounding agencies are working to find the missing child, including door to door canvassing and using drones from the Rock Island Police Department, Rock Island County Sheriff’s Department, and Moline Police Department. Anyone who has any information on the location of Blessing should call 911.