Background: News footage of Roderick Duke during his first court appearance on March 10 (KVVU). Inset: Leilani Williams (State of Nevada AMBER Alert).
A man from Nevada has been taken into custody following the issuance of an Amber Alert for his infant daughter, who has thankfully been located unharmed.
Roderick Duke, aged 39, was detained by North Las Vegas Police Department officers on March 12, about a week after an Amber Alert was activated for his 10-month-old daughter, Leilani Williams. In a post shared on Facebook before Leilani’s recovery, the department mentioned that Duke was experiencing an “emotional crisis” and had expressed intentions to harm both himself and his daughter.
A police report, accessed by local ABC station KTNV, revealed that Duke warned Leilani’s mother against involving law enforcement, ominously suggesting that doing so would result in seeing both of them “on the news.”
Authorities reported that this threat was communicated via phone after Leilani’s mother fled Duke’s residence in distress around 1:40 a.m. on March 5. Witnesses who encountered her called 911 when informed that Duke had assaulted her and absconded with Leilani. It was further alleged that Duke confiscated the woman’s cellphone. The report detailed that Leilani’s mother sustained various injuries, such as bruises and scratches, notably on her neck. She alleged that Duke had physically assaulted her and thrown her against a wall.
After obtaining access to a neighbor’s phone, Leilani’s mother called Duke, during which the neighbor reportedly overheard Duke’s threat of them appearing “on the news.”
According to an arrest report covered by local CBS affiliate KSNV, Duke allegedly “threatened to kill his 10-month-old and provoke a suicide-by-cop situation.”
The police were able to get in touch with a friend of Duke’s, who was able to contact Duke and tell him that “what he was doing wasn’t right.” The friend encouraged Duke to bring Leilani back. He ordered an Uber to bring father and daughter back to Duke’s apartment, and they arrived there at 5:40 a.m.
Duke and Leilani were still in his apartment when the Amber Alert was issued around 9 a.m., and police tracked them there. Police announced that Leilani was found unharmed and her father was taken into custody around 10 a.m.
When police interviewed Duke, he denied hitting Leilani’s mother because “he does not hit women.” He did admit that they got into an argument, but he left in the middle of it to “cool off.” According to the report, he said he brought Leilani to a friend’s house.
Duke made his first court appearance on March 10 and was charged with kidnapping, child abuse or neglect, and domestic battery. He is currently in custody at the North Las Vegas Community Correctional Center. His next court date is scheduled for March 24.
