News Release

Aaliyah Ramirez

SYRACUSE — The grandmother and aunt of Aaliyah Ramirez, 14, Syracuse, have been arrested in connection with Ramirez’s disappearance and are awaiting extradition back to Indiana.

Their arrest on Aug. 27, ended a four-month-long investigation. Ramirez was safely located by Palm Beach County, Fla., deputies.

Ramirez’s maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Sands, 47, 6727 Old Farm Trail, Boynton Beach, Fla.; and her maternal aunt, Allissa Sands, 25, who police say is from Marion County, were arrested in the area of Lake Worth Beach, Fla., in Palm Beach County, Fla.

Both women have been charged with interference with custody, a level 6 felony, and false informing, a class A misdemeanor.

Syracuse Police Chief Jim Layne reports U.S. Marshals saw Ramirez entering a vehicle in the Lake Worth Beach area.

The Syracuse Police Department was assisted in the investigation by the Indiana State Police, National Center for Exploited and Missing Children, U.S. Marshals Service, Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department and the Kosciusko County Prosecutor’s Office.

Ramirez was reported missing April 27, after she was last seen leaving her home to walk to the bus stop to attend school. However, she never made it to school or back home. The initial Silver Alert indicated she was believed to be in danger. On Aug. 18, Ramirez’s disappearance was featured on “In Pursuit With John Walsh” on Investigation Discovery.

Ramirez’s mother posted on Facebook that her daughter had been kept in a hotel room.