"Thank God he didn't hurt her:" Family of girl who was subject of Amber Alert now thanking Good Samaritans



LAKE MILLS -- Family members say three-year-old Aubri Degeffered, the subject of an Amber Alert on Sunday, November 15th slept through the entire ordeal. They're now breathing a big sigh of relief -- knowing the little girl is OK.

Aubri Degeffered



Family members say Aubri Degeffered was her usual feisty self on Monday.

They say when law enforcement officials found her on Sunday night, she thought she was still with her mom. But she was actually an hour west -- inside a vehicle that had been stolen.

"I`m thinking 'thank God that he had compassion -- that he didn't hurt her,'" Gail Clayton said.

Clayton says three-year-old Aubri Degeffered is her great niece.

The little girl was inside that red Volvo SUV when it was stolen on Sunday evening near 45th and Chambers in Milwaukee.

Gail Clayton



Late Sunday night, Degeffered's family got word she was safe.

"It was just a blessing that nothing happened to her. She was OK," Clayton said. "I couldn`t really believe it. It was a sigh of relief."

Clayton tells FOX6 News Degeffered's mother was visiting a friend at St. Joseph's Hospital. As she left, the suspect approached her vehicle.

"He pushed her out the way and he took off in the car and the baby was in the backseat and she was yelling 'please, give me my baby back,'" Clayton said.

Crime scene near St. Joseph's Hospital after red Volvo SUV was stolen, leading to Amber Alert



Police say the suspect connected to this Amber Alert is also accused in a stabbing that happened on Sunday morning around 5:30 a.m. near 55th and Villard. FOX6 has learned the victim was the suspect's father. He was stabbed eight times with a screwdriver.

Matthew Nickel



Matthew Nickel met the suspect around 9:00 p.m. in the parking lot of the Pyramid Liquor and Motel on County Road V in Lake Mills, Wisconsin. The man had just checked into Room #3.

"His demeanor last night was not right -- nervous, paranoid," Nickel said. "He asked me for a ride out of here tomorrow morning -- meaning this morning and I said 'no, I`m busy,' and I knew something was wrong,"  Nickel said.

Nickel later saw an Amber Alert billboard and posts on Facebook. He then put two-and-two together.

"We saw the car, the man and realized, 'hey, he`s in our parking lot,'" Nickel said.

Red Volvo SUV (Amber Alert)



Clayton, Degeffered's great aunt, says the little girl is just fine.

"She was sleep the entire time that it happened, so it`s good. I guess angels were watching over her 'cause she didn`t know," Clayton said.

The owner of the motel says the suspect claimed he was with his daughter, and didn't provide an ID. It was actually another guest staying at the motel who first recognized the red Volvo SUV, and the man connected with the Amber Alert. That guest called the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

Pyramid Liquor and Motel



The suspect, a 32-year-old Milwaukee man, was arrested around 10:15 p.m. Sunday.

That suspect is also accused in an attempted strong armed robbery that occurred near Bluemound and Janacek Road on Sunday evening. Police said the suspect vehicle in that incident was a red, Volvo SUV.