WHITEFISH TOWNSHIP, Mich. — Two people were arrested after authorities say they tied up several people inside a Chippewa County residence and kidnapped a child, prompting a statewide Amber Alert.
George Cunningham, 53, and Jon Stygler, 68, were taken into custody after being tracked down while walking across Lake Superior towards Canada.
Deputies were called around 7:15 p.m. Wednesday to an address on N Whitefish Point Road in Whitefish Township for a report of a domestic dispute that led to a stabbing.
Authorities say Cunningham and Stygler arrived at the residence and bound and gagged a woman outside before putting her in a parked vehicle. They then went inside and sprayed a man and four children with a chemical, tied them up with zip ties and duct taped their mouths shut, investigators say.
After tying the victims, the two men began searching the house for one of the suspects’ 5-year-old son, Zephaniau Cunningham, investigators say. During their search, one of the victims was able to cut themselves loose and stabbed at least one of the suspects.
When they found the boy, the suspects fled the scene in a pickup track that was eventually found parked in a driveway five miles away from the original scene.
Authorities say the suspects were tracked on foot heading across Lake Superior towards Canada. The men and the child were eventually found two miles off the shoreline, where the suspects were taken into custody without incident.
Both suspects are being held on multiple charges including kidnapping, assault, home invasion and child endangerment.
Cunningham was convicted of gross sexual imposition of child under the age of 13 in Ohio and was released from custody in February 2017. Authorities say he cut of his tether to attempt to hide from investigators.
Several people have received multiple Wireless Emergency Alerts involving this investigation despite the fact the Amber Alert has been canceled. More on those additional alerts can be found here.
