An Amber Alert has been set across North Carolina in search of a pre-teen and a toddler who are believed to have been taken by an older man.
Alazay Shelby Rose, 12, and Kinley Maelena Stepp, 3, disappeared from Haywood County in western North Carolina late on Monday, and police believe they were taken by 49-year-old Jacob Grant Aaron Stepp.
A communications officer for the Haywood County Sheriff's Office (HCSO) told Newsweek that he did not know whether Jacob Stepp is related to the girls, or what the girls' relationship is to each other.
Alazay Rose and Kinley Stepp were last seen at a house located at 99 Ben Medford Drive in Waynesville. Although the Amber Alert does not disclose the circumstances in which they were taken, police believe they are being driven by Jacob Stepp in a 2016 white Dodge Challenger car.
The car is described as having black racing stripes, and has a North Carolina license plate number KMC5951.
Alazay Rose is described as being approximately 5 feet tall, and weighing 100 pounds. She has black hair and blue eyes, and the Amber Alert says that she is wearing a blue shirt and blue jeans.
Kinley Stepp is described as being approximately 3 feet tall, and weighing 45 pounds. She has blonde hair and blue eyes and is said to be wearing a pink shirt and blue jeans.
The suspect, Jacob Stepp, is described as being 6 feet tall, 200 pounds, and having brown hair and green eyes. The Amber Alert also states that he has tattoos on both shoulders, although it does not elaborate on what these tattoos are.
Although the alert is set for the entirety of North Carolina, it says that the girls are suspected to be in the Cherokee tribal land.
The Amber Alert was sent out by the HCSO at 11:21 pm on Monday, and further details on the alert can be found via the NC Center for Missing Persons, which "serves as the clearinghouse for information regarding missing children and adults."
The NC Center for Missing Persons was created in 1985 and assists law enforcement agencies, from the local to the federal level, in finding missing persons and reuniting them with their families.
People with any information regarding the whereabouts of Alazay Rose and Kinley Stepp, or that have any information about the case, are encouraged to contact the Haywood County Sheriff's Office immediately at (828) 452-6600, or to call 911.