Missing 2-year-old thought to be in Minnesota is safe; parents arrested

A South Carolina 2-year-old missing for a month and thought to be in Minnesota was found safe in Iowa, authorities said Friday.

Dakota Ray was taken from her Camden, S.C., home on April 15 by parents William and Jessica Ray. The child and her parents were captured in surveillance images on Monday at a hospital in Iowa and had been spotted at a Marshall, Minn., gas station.

Police on Thursday said they were concerned enough for the child's well-being that they asked for the public's help in finding her.

Dakota had been removed previously from her parents' care for "safety reasons," according to the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

On Friday morning, police in South Carolina and Minnesota said the toddler was located Thursday following bulletins from police and from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

The girl is currently safe in child protective custody in Iowa. The parents were arrested on unrelated charges and are in custody, the Camden, S.C., police said in a statement.