Toddler survived possible kidnapping and car crash while dad bought Xanax

The father of a nine-month-old girl who disappeared overnight last July faces multiple felony charges because police say he was at his dealer’s home buying drugs as his car containing his baby suddenly disappeared into the driveway.

According to the Parrish Police Department, nine-month-old Harlow Freeman was first reported missing on Monday, July 10, by her father, 30-year-old Madison Jo Rilee Freeman of Jasper, Alabama.

“On July 10, 2023, Parrish Police were notified that a 9-month-old child was abandoned in a vehicle at 311 Crest Avenue in Parrish. The father, Jo Rilee Freeman, reported to officers that he left the child in the moving vehicle when he went inside to visit his friends,” Parrish police said in a Facebook post.

Police said the results of their months-long investigation revealed that Freeman lied about what he was doing inside the house and that he actually purchased a prescription anxiety medication called Xanax inside, which is often abused for its extremely calming and sedative effects.

“The investigation revealed that the father, Jo Rilee Freeman, drove to 311 Crest Avenue and conducted a drug transaction with Rodney Thomas at the residence,” Parrish police said. “While he was in the apartment, the father was made aware that his car was no longer in the driveway. He drove around for several minutes looking for his car, then called the police. A pistol and other narcotics were seized from the apartment.”

An AMBER Alert was issued and, according to Police Chief Danny Woodard, over 100 police units arrived within 30 minutes of the alert to assist in the search for Harlow.

“Twelve hours later the child was found in the vehicle. “The vehicle was approximately 80 feet down a steep embankment across the street from the home and was completely covered in kudzu,” Parrish police said.

What happened to little Harlow between the time her father entered his alleged dealer’s house and the time she was found the next morning is still relatively unclear. The vehicle was found the next morning across the road in a steep ravine, obscured by thick vines. Parrish police said they do not have a suspect in custody in connection with the suspected kidnapping or carjacking.

“It was impossible to see,” Chief Woodard said of the vehicle’s location. “The area was searched several times during the night.”

Police say Harlow was dehydrated but was fine when they found her. By chance, in an earlier, completely unrelated incident, the toddler’s rear window had been broken, meaning the baby had plenty of fresh air overnight. She was taken to the hospital for evaluation but was in “good” condition when Chief Woodard gave an update on the situation at a news conference in July.

“Given the situation, the best scenario for us was to find the child alive and healthy, dehydrated but on the way [have] a 100 percent recovery,” said Chief Woodard.

I’ve found a lot of speculation that says the father forgot to put the parking brake on and the vehicle rolled backwards into the ravine, but I’ve also found a lot of speculation that says this didn’t happen and Chief Woodard did He provided few details other than to say, “Anything is possible and everything is being evaluated.” Police also said they received numerous reports of the vehicle in question leaving the area at high speed.

Arrest warrants were issued and subsequent arrests for Madison Jo Rilee Freeman and his alleged dealer Rodney Thomas, as well as a third person, 19-year-old Mason Chappel, whose involvement in the case was not immediately clear.

Freeman was charged with conspiracy to commit a drug crime and endangering the welfare of a child. Thomas was charged with conspiracy to commit a drug offense and unlawful possession of a controlled substance. He also had six grams of meth and various prescription pills on him when he was arrested. Chappel was charged with interfering in government business. A call to the Parrish Police Department to inquire about who Chappel is and what he had to do with this case was not returned in time for publication.

“I would like to thank all agencies and the Walker County District Attorney’s Office for the many hours of hard work that went into this investigation. While we continue to seek answers to this case, the investigation continues,” said Chief Woodard.