Father charged after girl taken from St. Louis hospital

WAUWATOSA -- A 14-year-old girl police say was abducted from a St. Louis hospital Sunday afternoon was found safe at Children's Hospital in Wauwatosa Sunday evening, and the girl's father is in the Milwaukee County Jail. Tuesday, the girl's father, 53-year-old Dana Jones, was charged with two felony charges: endangering a child, and interference with custody.

A multi-state alert was issued after video surveillance from Cardinal Glennon Medical Center showed 14-year-old Brittany Jones leaving the hospital with a man believed to be her father. The video shows the girl attached to an IV, which her father helps take out, before the two leave the hospital.

The girl received a kidney transplant in 2010, and Cardinal Glennon says the girl was having complications and needed medication. Two nurses reportedly questioned the pair as they walked through the hospital lobby with an IV, took it out of the girl's arm and left the hospital. A doctor was concerned, and said without treatment, the girl would be in grave danger. Police issued an Amber Alert.

Around 10:40 Sunday night, the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department got a phone call, saying the girl and her father were at Children's Hospital. Deputies arrested the girl's father, 53-year-old Dana Jones of Elksville, Illinois. The Illinois Department of Children and Family Services has custody of the girl due to past concerns about her receiving proper medical treatment. Illinois officials say they are investigating allegations of neglect, and say there is confusion right now about the girl's treatment. The girl's father was arrested and taken to the Milwaukee County Jail while the investigation continued.

The St. Louis hospital says they are relieved the girl has been found and is receiving the care she requires.

Officials say there seems to be a difference in opinion among family members on what kind of treatment the girl needs. Why she ended up in Milwaukee is still unclear, however, the girl's father had past ties to Wisconsin, and had an unpaid ticket in Racine County that the sheriff's department used to hold him in jail.