Mother, Child Found Safe After Massive Search In Palm Springs

A mother who reportedly took her 2-year-old child from his father at knife-point was found about 2 hours after the incident.

Police said Johnny Jacob Gonzales was taken around 11:30 a.m. from the 2600 block of Linden Way in Palm Springs, prompting a statewide Amber Alert.

Radio and television stations, including KESQ News Channel 3, sent our breaking news alerts with the details of the abduction.

The mother, Brandi Marie Gonzalez, 22, apparently was involved in a dispute with the child’s father at his home and threatened him, then drove off with the child while in possession of a knife, according to Palm Springs police spokeswoman Rhonda Long.

“She never threatened the child; she threatened the husband,” Long said.

Police rescinded the Amber Alert designation after they learned the father and mother had joint custody of the child and were living apart.

Authorities found both Gonzales and the boy safe in Cathedral City around 1:30 p.m.