16-month-old dead, 2 boys injured after father abducts them, crashes vehicle in Maryland, police say
A 16-month old girl was killed and her two siblings were injured after her father allegedly abducted the children in Virginia and crashed on an interstate in Maryland while fleeing from police, according to authorities.
Virginia Beach police were called on Aug. 14 after reports of a stabbing, and when officers responded, they found two female victims with multiple stab wounds, one adult and one minor. The two victims were taken to the hospital and are in stable condition, police said, and a primary investigation indicated that the incident is domestic-related.
Police said the man alleged to have stabbed both victims was identified as 36-year-old Dana Plummer, from Virginia Beach. He fled the scene with his children: a 7-year-old boy, a 5-year-old boy and a 16-month-old girl.
Virginia State Police issued an Amber Alert to help search for the missing children.
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A citizen reported to police they recognized Plummer's vehicle from the Amber Alert on Aug. 16 and notified police. Virginia State Police attempted to make a traffic stop traveling northbound on I-95 in Fairfax County, Virginia, but the vehicle did not stop and fled north on I-495 to Maryland, where the driver lost control and crashed.
As Plummer was fleeing police in Maryland, he crashed into two other vehicles, causing his to overturn.
The 16-month-old girl, who later died at the hospital, was identified as Za’riyah Plummer, according to Maryland State Police. The two boys, a 7-year-old and a 5-year-old, were also injured in the crash and were taken to the hospital.
There were no other reported injures in the three-vehicle crash.
“Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones who are grieving this morning,” Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate said in a statement. “This is an unimaginable tragedy, and on behalf of the VBPD, I extend our deepest sympathies to those affected by this loss.
Plummer was hospitalized after the crash. Charges are pending for him in Maryland as Maryland State Police are investigating the crash, and faces multiple charges in Virginia, including aggravated malicious wounding, parental abducting and domestic assault.