Massachusetts State Police, Fall River Police, Alabama Police recover Fall River 1-year-old in Alabama

FRAMINGHAM – Today, the Massachusetts State Police announced details of a multi-state investigation in collaboration with the Fall River Police Department that resulted in the safe recovery of a 1-year-old child.

According to Massachusetts State Police, on the morning of June 20, 2024, Genezza Packett was visiting her 1-year-old son who lives in the custody of her aunt. Packett told her aunt that she was going to take her son to a local Dunkin’ and return to the apartment. After several hours, Fall River Police received a report that the pair never returned, and the child could be in danger.

Fall River Detectives relayed the information to the Commonwealth Watch Center, a Massachusetts State Police intelligence sharing function within the Fusion Center, and requested an Amber Activation. Although Packett made no threats against her child, detectives feared for his safety because his mother is not his legal custodian and the investigation revealed 5 active felony warrants against her for various, non-violent crimes.

In the Watch Center, the on-call Amber Alert Coordinator received this information and determined that the incident did not meet the Amber Alert criteria. Shortly after midnight in the early hours of Friday, June 21, the Watch Center used location technology to locate Packett’s cell phone on Route 81 in Virginia.

Members of Packett’s family shared information with law enforcement that Genezza may have been traveling to other family in Mississippi. The Watch Center contacted the Virginia State Police to relay the latest information, including Packett’s vehicle information and the fact that she was traveling with a suspended Massachusetts license. 

Later in the morning, the Fusion Center distributed the Fall River Police’s bulletin to every state partner from Massachusetts to Mississippi through the Homeland Security Information Network Exchange. Two hours later, an intelligence analyst at the Alabama Fusion Center contacted the Watch Center seeking additional information to locate the suspect and child. She replied to Massachusetts officials that, although Alabama license plate readers did not detect the vehicle, local law enforcement maintained situational awareness.

Fall River Police detectives continued to liaise with the Alabama Fusion Center and shared when cell phone data confirmed that the suspect and child were travelling through Alabama on Interstate 59. The Alabama Fusion Center relayed location information to the State Highway Patrol who quickly located the vehicle, suspect, and child who was safe.

The success of this mission to secure a 1-year-old child in danger illustrates the importance of sharing actionable intelligence across local and state law enforcement. The Massachusetts State Police commended their partners in Fall River, Virginia, and Alabama for their extraordinary coordination.