GBI Arrests Woman for Kidnapping Three Children in Lanier County

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has arrested and charged Monika Yvette Bradley, 41, of Valdosta, GA with three counts of kidnapping. The arrest follows an investigation into the abduction of three children in Lanier County, Georgia, at the request of the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office.

On Saturday, June 22, 2024, at approximately 4:00 p.m., the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a stolen car. The woman who reported the theft later disclosed that her three children, including 6-month-old A’Marile Johnson, were also missing along with the car since the previous night. She suspected Bradley of taking them. The Lanier County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the GBI at around 7:30 p.m.

Later that day, the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office responded to a call from the Valdosta Police Department, which believed they had found two of the missing children at an address in Valdosta, Georgia. The two children were located at the scene, but investigators determined that Bradley still had A’Marile in her custody. Consequently, the GBI issued a Levi’s Call (Georgia’s AMBER ALERT) for A’Marile.

At around 12:00 a.m., Bradley’s vehicle was located at a motel in Valdosta, Georgia. A’Marile was found at the motel with Bradley.

The GBI expressed gratitude to the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office, the Lakeland Police Department, the Valdosta Police Department, the Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Community Supervision, the Department of Family and Children Services, and the Atlanta Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.