A man who had been the subject of a manhunt following a kidnapping that triggered an Amber Alert is now in custody. After days in which authorities searched for him, the case reached a resolution when he surrendered himself to the authorities rather than being tracked down and arrested in the field.
The man at the center of the case has been identified as 41-year-old Matthew Sussmilt. According to authorities, Sussmilt turned himself in to the Department of Corrections yesterday afternoon, bringing an end to the search that had been underway after the Amber Alert was issued.
The events that led to the alert began earlier in the week. Authorities say Sussmilt took his four-year-old daughter on Saturday, an action that set off the Amber Alert and prompted law enforcement to begin looking for the pair as concern grew over the young child's safety.
There was a significant piece of good news as the case developed. The four-year-old girl was found safe on Sunday afternoon, easing fears about her wellbeing. Even after the child was recovered, however, her father was still on the run and remained the focus of the ongoing search.
The seriousness of the case is reflected in the charges that were already on file. Kennewick police had a warrant out for Sussmilt, and that warrant included second-degree assault, domestic violence, first-degree kidnapping, as well as felony harassment, a combination that points to a serious criminal case.
With Sussmilt now in custody after turning himself in, the immediate search is over and the case moves into the legal phase. The daughter having been found safe and the father now surrendered, attention turns to the charges he faces in connection with the kidnapping that had prompted the Amber Alert.