Amber Alert toddler Elias Linares Quin located safe, authorities say

California Highway Patrol deactivated an Amber Alert on May 21 after 3-year-old Elias Linares Quintanilla was found safe, according to local television reports and an emergency alert notice. The alert had been issued on behalf of the Los Angeles Police Department after authorities said the boy was taken in South Los Angeles earlier that morning. ABC7 Los Angeles reported the child was located shortly after the alert was issued. Authorities did not immediately release details on where he was found or whether anyone was arrested. ### When did authorities say Elias was taken? The California Highway Patrol alert said Elias was taken at about 8 a.m. on May 21 in Los Angeles. The emergency notice described him as a 3-year-old Hispanic boy, about 3 feet tall and 25 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes. South Los Angeles was the focus of the initial search, ABC7 reported. (abc7.com) The station said authorities identified the child as Elias Linares Quintanilla and said the case was handled through an Amber Alert issued by CHP for LAPD. ### Who did police say took the child? ABC7 reported authorities said Elias was with his mother, Sonia Quintanilla, 38, when he was last seen. (govonestop.com) The station said investigators believed they were traveling in a gray 2008 Pontiac G6 at the time the Amber Alert was issued. The emergency alert notice did not include a narrative of the alleged abduction beyond saying Elias had been taken from Los Angeles. (abc7.com) The notice was issued through California's child abduction emergency system on behalf of LAPD. ### Why did phones receive the alert after the child had been found? Telemundo 52 Los Angeles reported the Amber Alert reached some cellphones minutes after authorities were already in the process of deactivating it. (abc7.com) The station said the child had already been located when many people received the wireless notification. (govonestop.com) The timing reflects how Amber Alerts move through multiple public warning systems. CHP says its missing person alerts program relies on law enforcement, media and the public to distribute actionable information quickly in missing-child cases. ### What did authorities say after Elias was found? ABC7 reported CHP deactivated the Amber Alert shortly after issuing it, saying the child had been located. (telemundo52.com) MyNewsLA also reported the alert was canceled after the 3-year-old was found. Neither report included immediate information from police about the child's condition beyond saying he was safe. (chp.ca.gov) The publicly available reports reviewed did not say whether Sonia Quintanilla was taken into custody or whether prosecutors planned to file charges. ### Where can readers look for the next official update? (abc7.com) The California Highway Patrol maintains a public alerts page that lists missing person and child abduction notices issued through the state system. The Los Angeles Police Department, which requested the alert through CHP, would typically provide any follow-up case information, including custody status or charges, if those details are released. (abc7.com) As of May 23, the clearest public facts were that Elias Linares Quintanilla was reported taken on May 21, an Amber Alert was issued on behalf of LAPD, and CHP later deactivated it after the child was found safe. Further details are likely to come, if at all, through CHP's alerts system or LAPD case updates. (abc7.com) (chp.ca.gov)