Missing NC toddler may have been seen at Walmart

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Local law enforcement has stepped up the search for a missing North Carolina girl after she disappeared from her home. 3-year-old Mariah Kay Woods was reported missing from her home around 6 a.m. on Monday. (Nov. 29) AP

The Onslow County Sheriff's Office in Jacksonville, North Carolina and the FBI are seeking assistance from the public to locate three-year-old Mariah Woods. Woods was reported missing from her home on Dawson Cabin Road in Jacksonville, North Carolina, on Monday, November 27, 2017. (Photo: Onslow County Sheriff's Office)

The search for a missing North Carolina 3-year-old intensified Wednesday with authorities trying to determine if Mariah Woods is the toddler in photos taken by a Walmart security camera in Morehead City.

Morehead City is about 40 miles east of Mariah's home in Jacksonville. Mariah was last seen by her mother's boyfriend late Sunday night and was reported missing Monday morning.

Onslow County Sheriff Hans Miller said authorities were requesting the public’s help in identifying the adult and the child depicted in the images.

"No information is too small or insignificant when looking for a missing child," Miller said. He said much of the search continues to take place in the area around the child's home in Inez's Mobile Home Park.

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Scores of officers and K-9 units combed the area, and helicopters and a drone buzzed overhead as the search stretched into a third day. Miller confirmed to the Wilmington Star News that authorities would be asking for volunteers to help conduct the search as the area widens.

Mariah's biological father, Alex Woods, told WCTI-TV his daughter's disappearance was "a nightmare."

"Someone just walked right up in there, grabbed the 3-year-old out of the bed and she didn't cry, she didn't scream?" Woods said. "Nobody heard anything? Four people in the house, two adults and two kids. Someone just comes up and snatches the baby and walks out?"

Maria's mother, Kristy Woods, said her daughter is a "very sweet girl" who has trouble walking.

"If anybody knows where she's at or has any information, please call the sheriff's department or notify anybody," Woods said. "She could be anywhere." 

The local Crime Stoppers program is offering a cash reward of up to $2,500 for information deemed "of value or assistance" in the search.

Contributing: WCNC-TV in Charlotte, N.C.

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