GBI arrests Valdosta woman in Lanier County child abduction investigation

The GBI has arrested and charged Monika Yvette Bradley, 41, of Valdosta, GA, with three counts of kidnapping. At the request of the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office, the GBI is investigating the kidnapping of three children in Lanier County, Georgia.

On Saturday, June 22, 2024, at approximately 4:00 p.m., the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office responded to a report of a car theft. The woman who reported the car theft later reported that her three children, including 6-month-old A’Marile Johnson, had also been missing since the previous night along with the car. She believed that Bradley was the person who abducted her. At approximately 7:30 p.m., the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office requested assistance from the GBI.

Shortly thereafter, the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office responded to a message to an address in Valdosta, Georgia, after receiving a call from Valdosta Police that they believed they had found two of the children. Two of the children were found at the scene, but investigators determined at that time that Bradley still had A’Marile in their custody. The GBI initiated a Levi’s Call (AMBER ALERT in Georgia) for A’Marile.

At around 12:00 a.m., Bradley’s vehicle was found at a motel in Valdosta, Georgia. A’Marile was at the motel with Bradley.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation would also like to thank the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office, Lakeland Police Department, Valdosta Police Department, Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office, Department of Community Supervision, Department of Family and Children Services, and Atlanta Police Department for their assistance in the investigation.

This investigation is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Lanier County Sheriff’s Office at (229) 482-3545 or the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Douglas at (912) 389-4103. Anonymous tips can also be submitted by phone at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online or by downloading the “See Something, Send Something” mobile app.

Once the investigation is complete, the case file will be turned over to the Alapaha County District Attorney’s Office for review and prosecution.