Updated at 11:51 a.m. after police said they had found the girl and man involved.
A 10-year-old girl was found safe at a motel after she went missing overnight and an AMBER Alert was issued Wednesday morning in her disappearance. Her mother, Maria Romero Ramos, was found dead by a roommate, Carrollton police said.
Police added that the girl's father, Ronald Lee Singer, is now in custody. He is her mother's ex-husband and has been arrested on a murder charge in connection to her death, according to police.
The girl had gone missing after Singer picked her up from a friend's home around 10 p.m. Tuesday, police say. When he showed up, the family she was with did not know the circumstances, and she left with him.
Ramos, 45, was then found dead by her roommate around 1 a.m. Wednesday at 1930 E. Hebron Pkwy.
Police said Singer took Ramos' car, a 2020 black Mitsubishi Outlander SUV, and drove the girl to a motel in Red Oak, Texas.
With the help of the Dallas FBI field office and the Dallas and Red Oak police departments, authorities were able to find her there safe. She had not been injured, officials said.
"On the heels of tragedy and tragic loss of life, we had the best possible outcome occur," Chief Derick Miller said during a news conference to announce the girl had been found.
Miller attributed their success to the AMBER Alert, saying that was how officials discovered their location at the motel.
"This is an example of society coming together, to include law enforcement in the North Texas region and also the media and then most importantly the citizens of our city and the citizens of greater Dallas," he said.
During an earlier update Wednesday, police had said Ramos had been found dead a few hours after the girl was last seen.
"It's clear that we're dealing with a murder," said Jolene DeVito, a police spokesperson. She added that police could tell a "struggle" had taken place before Ramos was killed.
The 10-year-old girl is being taken into the care of Child Protective Services.
Miller added his team is "very, very concerned" about her well-being.
He also discussed how family violence is a rising problem across the region and shared some of what law enforcement is trying to do to combat it.
Watch the news conference below:
