Illinois Mother Accused of Staging Daughter’s Abduction, Sparking 9-Hour Amber Alert

An Illinois mother is at the center of controversy after allegedly fabricating the abduction of her 4-year-old daughter, which led to a widespread Amber Alert and a 9-hour search by authorities.

What began as a frantic search for a missing 4-year-old girl in Rock Island, Illinois, ended with a shocking revelation—the child was never missing at all. Authorities now say the girl’s mother, 37-year-old Princess Ilunga, fabricated the entire abduction story, leading to an unnecessary Amber Alert and a massive police search.

Ilunga has been charged with filing a false police report after allegedly hiding her daughter and deceiving investigators.

A Stolen Car, A Missing Child, and a Desperate Search

The saga unfolded on January 26 when Ilunga called 911 around 6 a.m., claiming someone had stolen her car while it was running outside her home with her 4-year-old daughter inside.

Authorities immediately jumped into action. Within 15 minutes, police located the stolen vehicle a few blocks away, but it was empty. With the child still unaccounted for, the Rock Island Police Department issued an Amber Alert, broadcasting the girl’s photo across the state. The case quickly gained traction, with more than 40,000 social media shares amplifying the urgent search efforts.

The Search Intensifies

As officers scoured the area, deploying drones and canvassing homes, tension mounted. For nine long hours, police, volunteers, and community members desperately searched for the missing girl.

Then, in a shocking twist, police found the child safe in an alley near her home—right where Ilunga had hidden her.

The Truth Unfolds: A Calculated Deception

After piecing together the events, investigators determined the girl was never actually missing. Instead, Ilunga had intentionally concealed her daughter while fabricating the kidnapping story.

Rock Island Police Chief Timothy McCloud revealed in a press conference that officers had unknowingly seen the child earlier that day. When they first arrived at Ilunga’s home to question her, the girl was right there in the room—but Ilunga lied and claimed she was another daughter.

To maintain the ruse, she allegedly:

• Had her other children call the girl by a different name in Swahili

• Removed the pink coat the girl was last seen wearing

• Told police she “looks just like her sister” to avoid suspicion

One of the responding officers spoke fluent Swahili and quickly picked up on Ilunga’s deception.

The Alleged Final Act

After a police detective stationed outside the home left the scene, Ilunga put the girl’s coat back on and led her to a nearby alley. Two women searching for the child later “discovered” her and alerted authorities.

The Arrest and What’s Next

Following the revelation of the staged abduction, Ilunga fled Rock Island with her seven children. A warrant for her arrest was issued on January 30.

Hours later, authorities tracked her down in Wisconsin, nearly 200 miles away from where the hoax took place. She was pulled over in Johnson County, Wisconsin, outside Milwaukee, and taken into custody.

The children's father later arrived to pick them up, while Ilunga was jailed and is now awaiting extradition back to Illinois.

Motive Still Unclear

Police have not confirmed Ilunga’s exact reason for orchestrating the hoax, but Chief McCloud suggested she may have wanted to ensure police took her stolen car report seriously by claiming a child was inside.

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