Amber Alert Issued For 6-Year-Old Boy Reportedly Taken By His Mother

MILLCREEK, Utah – Police on Monday activated an Amber Alert for a boy who was allegedly taken by his non-custodial mother on Saturday.

Suspect Emily Jolley was on a court-supervised visit with her son, Terran Butler, 6, when she reportedly took the child and fled.

Authorities initially did not issue an Amber Alert because they did not believe Butler was in imminent danger.

Unified Police Sgt. Melody Gray said the case on Sunday did not meet all five criteria because the family insisted Jolley “would never hurt him.”

However, after learning additional information bout Jolley, it was determined an Amber Alert should be issued.

“We believe she’s been premeditating this for months, if not years,” said Terran’s father, Timothy Butler. “She just saw this as the opportunity to run.”

Timothy has had custody of his son for more than a year. He said concerns were raised by the boy’s teachers about his mother’s behavior.

Before that, the two shared custody.

“I’ve been the custodial parent and just been responsible for keeping him safe and creating a stable environment for him,” Timothy Butler said. “… I felt it was in his best interest to create a relationship with his mom.”

In order to facilitate that ongoing relationship, Jolley and Tarren Butler had supervised visits.

Timothy Butler said the family has gone through a handful of supervisors. The past few visits have been supervised by Diane King, a woman Jolley found on care.com, a website that places professional nannies and daycare workers with families.

“The supervisors in their visits, there were concerns raised that she continued to violate their terms, so they would deny visits,” he said.

Butler said he was involved in the most recent visit. He dropped Tarren off in Millcreek to be with his mother and the woman who was supervising the visit, but something seemed “off.”

Later that afternoon, Terran Butler and Jolley were nowhere to be found.

“The supervisor, who we trusted, aided Emily in taking off and essentially abducting the child and leaving and didn’t notify me or anyone,” Timothy Butler said.

The incident happened at the home of Emily Jolley’s mother, Lorraine Jolley, who was later arrested for impeding a criminal investigation.

According to arresting documents, when police questioned Jolley’s mother about her daughter and grandson’s whereabouts, she presented them with what she claimed was an arrest warrant for Terran Butler’s father, issued by the Supreme Court of the Utah Common Law Constitutional Court.

Police said the documents were fake, and investigators think King may have been conspiring with this plan for weeks.

Timothy Butler is concerned about his son’s safety. “I don’t believe that Terran is completely safe. I think that in the least, he is being manipulated, that he is being lied to. He’s being subject to more emotional trauma at this time.”

Emily Jolley is 5-foot-8, has brown hair and weighs 140 pounds. She drives a blue 2008 Toyota Prius with Utah license plate No. E847GT. She may be headed in the direction of the state of Washington.

Terran Butler has brown eyes and blond hair. He was last seen wearing black gym shorts, hiking boots, and a green T-shirt with blue sleeves. He is 4 feet tall and weighs about 40 pounds.

Anyone with information is urged to contact police at 801-840-4000 or call 911.

Timothy Butler has created a Facebook group called Bring Terran Home.