Overview

• Zabe Mendez was recovered safely on July 22 during a traffic stop in Mattoon, Illinois, after officials spotted a white Lexus matching the Amber Alert description.
• Authorities arrested 42-year-old Christopher Barnshaw at the scene, naming him the primary suspect in the July 18 abduction.
• Officers later discovered two bodies—a man and a woman—inside a residence on the 500 block of Northeast Wabash Avenue in Topeka.
• The white Lexus four-door vehicle stolen from Zabe’s mother had its license plate removed, hindering earlier identification efforts.
• The Topeka Police Department and Kansas Bureau of Investigation collaborated on the Amber Alert, urging residents to report any sightings of the child, suspect, or vehicle.