A man who allegedly abducted a woman and her 4-month-old son, setting off an Amber Alert in Connecticut and several other states, surrendered in New Hampshire late Wednesday, police said. The woman and infant were released safely, police said.
Authorities had been negotiating with Matthew A. Slocum, 23, an ex-convict, for several hours before he surrendered without incident, according to New Hampshire State Police.
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Police had warned earlier in the day that Slocum might have been armed, but they would not say whether he had any weapons when he was taken into custody.
The events began about 4 a.m. Wednesday with a house fire in White Creek, N.Y., in which three people were found dead: Slocum's mother, Lisa Harrington; her husband, Dan Harrington, a deputy highway superintendent for the town; and Harrington's son, Josh. White Creek is about 35 miles northeast of Albany.
The Washington County, N.Y., sheriff's department said Slocum fled in a black Mustang and may have taken Loretta Colegrove, 25, reported to be his girlfriend, and her son, Raymond Slocum, 4 months. It is unclear whether Colegrove and the baby were held hostage or if they went with Slocum willingly.
That report set off an Amber Alert in Connecticut, New York, Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Authorities said the empty Mustang was found late Wednesday afternoon in Gilsum, which is off I-91 north of Keene, N.H. Soon afterward, police surrounded a section of downtown Gilsum and began negotiating with Slocum.
The alert was canceled after Slocum surrendered around 10:30 p.m.
Slocum, described as having tattoos of swastikas on his arms and wearing a black T-shirt with a skull and crossbones, went to prison in 2006 for breaking into a house and stealing cash, a New York prison spokesman said. He was released but returned to custody twice for violations before his parole expired in December 2009.
On Wednesday, emergency crews remained on the scene of the charred remains of the White Creek house, set back from a remote country road on heavily wooded property. Police have not released any information about the fire's cause.An Associated Press report is included in this story.
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