Amber Alert Update: Missing child found safe in South Carolina

An AMBER Alert is an incredibly effective tool that has specific criteria that must be met in order to issue the alert.

As soon as an abduction is reported to law enforcement and the investigation reveals ALL of the following, an AMBER Alert will be issued:

• The law enforcement agency believes that the child has been abducted: taken from their environment unlawfully, without authority of law, and without permission from the child's parent or legal guardian.
• The child is 17 years old or younger, and the law enforcement agency believes the child is in immediate danger of serious bodily harm or death; or if the individual is 18 years old or older, and the law enforcement agency believes the individual is at greater risk for immediate danger of serious bodily harm or death because the individual possesses a proven physical or mental disability.
• All other possibilities for the victim's disappearance have been reasonably excluded.
• There is sufficient information available to disseminate to the public that could assist in locating the victim, suspect, or vehicle used in the abduction.
• The child's name and other critical data have been entered into the National Crime Information Center, or NCIC, database.

Below is a timeline of the incident with the information that is currently available. Please note this investigation is still active and ongoing and information is subject to change as the investigation develops.

At around 6:00 p.m. on January 2, 2025, Dylan Saige Cooper, 1, was abducted by Macie Eaddy, 32, an acquaintance of the child’s mother, from the Roses store parking lot in Florence, SC.

The investigation has since revealed that the child was likely dropped off at a residence in Timmonsville, SC at around 8:30 p.m. on January 2, 2025. The residence appears to have no connection to the child, the child’s mother, or to the subject. The investigation revealed the resident of the home reported hearing a car horn outside blow multiple times, then saw a car leaving the driveway at around that time.

At approximately 9:00 p.m., 3 hours after the child was abducted, the mother of the child reported the child missing to the Florence Police Department.

At 12:02 a.m. on January 3, 2025, SLED received the initial request from the Florence Police Department that a child had been abducted and assistance was being requested.

At 1:21 a.m. SLED sent a law enforcement bulletin to all law enforcement in South Carolina and bordering counties in surrounding states.

From 12:02 a.m. until 4:20 a.m., SLED working in conjunction with the Florence Police Department and the FBI, utilized multiple resources in an attempt to locate the child at known addresses for the subject.

At 4:20 a.m. sufficient information was gathered during the investigation by SLED, the Florence Police Department and the FBI to meet the criteria to issue the Amber Alert.

From 4:20 a.m. until the alert was issued at 5:38 a.m., SLED coordinated with AMBER Alert partners, including the South Carolina Department of Transportation, the radio station WCOS, the South Carolina Highway Patrol, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the National Weather Service, to ensure the alert would be widely shared.

At 5:38 a.m. the Amber Alert was issued.

At 6:50 a.m. the child was found in a carrier seat in the driveway of the Timmonsville homeowner. The homeowner does not appear to have any connection to the child, the child’s mother or the subject. The child had a temperature of 90 degrees and required medical attention.

Just before 7:00 a.m. Macie Eaddy was located and apprehended by deputies from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office after receiving a tip from a citizen who saw the vehicle listed in the Amber Alert.

SLED, the Florence Police Department and the FBI would like to thank the public for their support to ensure Dylan was found. She is now receiving the care she needs.

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