9-month-old boy at center of Amber Alert reunited with mother; father still on the run

Grandmother safely returns baby to Houston authorities

SPRING, Texas – The search for a missing 9-month-old boy has ended after the child's grandmother safely returned him to Houston authorities, according to the Constable Mark Herman's Office Pct. 4. 

Laurie Hendricks returned her grandson, Caleb Zachary, after he was allegedly taken by his father from a home in Spring on Mother's Day. The Amber Alert issued has since been canceled, and officials are still searching for the boy's father, authorities said.

Caleb was reunited with his mother, Carra Phillips, a few hours later at a Houston Police Department substation located at 6308 Richmond Avenue.

"I never believed that my son was in danger, but I wanted him back home," Phillips said. "I feel that the Amber Alert is what brought him back home. 

Philips said she had no clue her son had been in Houston the whole week.

[ VIDEO: Mother reunited with missing 9-month-old boy]

Laurie Hendricks said her son shared his plan to take Caleb from Houston, but she didn't think anything of it. She also said he tried to call the baby's mother and couldn't get a hold of her.

The Precinct 4 Constable's Office said Zachary Alphonse Hendricks, 22, broke into a home on Aldine Westfield Road, took the child and threatened to harm the child and himself. According to the Amber Alert, the father does not have custody.

"It's very hard. He's very attached to me, so for him to be taken from me, just snatched from me, it's very hard," Phillips said.

Phillips told KPRC 2 that Zachary Hendricks choked, hit and punched her.

"After he assaulted me, he grabbed the baby and he left out,” she said. "As he was leaving out, I let him know that I was going to call the police.  And he said... if I would that he was going to kill himself and the baby."

Laurie Hendricks said when she heard about the Amber Alert she drove to Houston from her home in Louisiana. She said it was "her duty as his grandmother."

Officials believe that the child was taken as a result of a custody battle. They said Phillips and Zachary Hendricks had been in contact and she thought the child would be returned. When Hendricks stopped communicating with Phillips, she called deputies and the Amber Alert was issued.

"I'm scared. (I) don't know if my baby is OK. Every time I try to call, he would never answer. He wouldn't let me know how the baby is doing. So (I'm) concerned about his well-being now," Phillips said.

Zachary Hendricks is described as African American with black hair and brown eyes. He's about 6 feet tall and weighs 190 pounds.

Phillips said she is not sure what car Zachary Hendricks is driving.  

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of Hendricks is asked to call the Harris County Precinct 4 Constable's Office at 281-376-3472.

Mom comes to pick up baby Caleb from HPD substation.

Posted by Jennifer Bauer on Friday, May 13, 2016