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4-year-old found unharmed following reported abduction

WFIU | By Dain Jung
Published July 20, 2026 at 1:15 PM EDT

A 4-year-old child was recovered unharmed around 12:17 a.m. on Monday in Monroe County, about 30 minutes after a reported abduction.

The Monroe County Sheriff's Office said deputies were called to a residence at 11:47 p.m. Sunday.

The child's grandparents told investigators that the child's biological mother had forced her way into the home, attacked them and left with the child.

According to the sheriff's office, the biological mother does not have custody of the child.

Deputies used an emergency GPS location from the suspect's cellphone to help locate the vehicle.

Officers stopped it within Bloomington city limits.

Police arrested Alexandra Porter, 35, and Lena Volpe, 25. They were taken to the Monroe County jail.

Both were booked on preliminary charges of Level 4 felony burglary of a dwelling, Level 5 felony kidnapping of a victim under 14, Class A misdemeanor battery resulting in bodily injury, and Class B misdemeanor battery without injury.

The Bloomington Police Department and Indiana State Police assisted in the investigation.
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Dain Jung
Dain Jung is a reporter for WFIU/WTIU News. She is a master’s student in media school at Indiana University, Bloomington, where she is also an Arnolt Center Fellow. Dain is from South Korea, and came to IU to pursue journalism and newsroom experience in the United States. As a bilingual journalist, she hopes to cover international and cross-cultural stories that connect global audiences through reporting.
See stories by Dain Jung

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