A four-year-old child who went missing after four bodies were found outside a home near Tampa has been found safe, authorities said Friday.
An Amber Alert was issued Thursday after detectives discovered the bodies near the home when they went to check on Ismael Tristan Santisteban, 4, who went missing along with an adult, Adam Matos.
Santisteban was found safe and was in the care of the Pasco County Sheriff's Office Friday, Sheriff Chris Nocco said at a news conference.
Matos was taken into custody by a SWAT team at the Floridian hotel in Tampa and is a suspect in the four homicides, officials said.
"Thank God the case with Tristan is gonna be ok, he's fine, now we're working on the homicide investigation," Nocco said. "This could have been a very bad situation."
The boy was found in "close proximity" when Matos was arrested at the hotel, Nocco said. Matos was taken by surprise and didn't put up a fight, Nocco said.
The Amber Alert set off a massive search involving the sheriff's office,Tampa Police, The Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the FBI.
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Officials said when detectives arrived at the Tampa-area house Thursday afternoon, no one was home. But they noticed a bad smell and walked down the street toward birds circling the air. That's where they found the bodies.
The boy had been last seen Aug. 28 at the home in Hudson. Deputies had gone to the house that day on a domestic call involving Matos.
Matos is facing aggravated assault charges in the Aug. 28 incident but could faces charges in the four murders, officials said.
Officials said Santisteban and those found dead have a connection, but the sheriff's office wasn't immediately naming the victims or their relationship to Santisteban or Matos.
Nocco said detectives are still trying to determine whether Matos is the boy's biological father.
If you have any information, call 911 or the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office at 727-847-5878.
