Fishers, IN – A Fishers woman was taken into custody this week after allegedly defying a court order to surrender her 2-year-old daughter, prompting a multi-agency search that ended in Kokomo.
According to the Fishers Police Department, officers were notified that a Hamilton County judge had ordered 21-year-old Nizhoni L. Carter to surrender her child to the Department of Child Services (DCS) following allegations the child was neglected and/or abused while living in Fishers. Authorities allege the child had access to illegal drugs and unsecured firearms, and that drug use allegedly occurred in the child’s presence. Investigators also allege the child was at times left home alone while Carter reportedly went out to obtain drugs and was found alone outside the residence on multiple occasions.
Police said Carter allegedly failed to comply with the court order issued Wednesday and left the area with her daughter. With assistance from the FBI Violent Crimes Task Force and the Kokomo Police Department, Carter and the child were located in Kokomo and brought back to Fishers without further incident.
Officials said the child was safely recovered. Carter was transported to the Hamilton County Jail, where she is facing preliminary charges, including kidnapping where a vehicle was allegedly used, a level 5 felony, and interference with custody, a class B misdemeanor. Authorities allege both charges stem from her refusal to comply with the court’s custody order.
Law enforcement credited coordination among local, state, and federal agencies for the child’s safe recovery. The case remains under investigation.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
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