Amber Ennis Revisits the Tearful Reunion With Her Son Noah, Who Was Kidnapped in 2021
"I had my world back in my arms after 13 long days."
Published Nov. 19 2024, 7:09 p.m. ET
On the third anniversary of her son Noah's return, Amanda Leigh Ennis uploaded a video to TikTok that was filmed the moment they were reunited. Amanda appears to be in the conference room of a hotel and is clutching a child's blanket in her hands.
She nervously looks over her shoulder at the people behind her who are discussing the fact that their whole community came together to help Amanda find her child.
Suddenly a small boy enters the room and runs towards Amanda who bends down in order to catch him. Over Noah's shoulder, Amanda is crying. The caption below the TikTok reads, "There's not been a single time that I've watched this video and not cried. I had my world back in my arms after 13 long days."
What happened to Noah Ennis? Here's what we know.
What happened to Noah Ennis?
On Nov. 7, 2021, Amanda contacted the Gallatin Police Department in Gallatin, Tenn. to report a possible kidnapping. Noah had not returned from a scheduled visitation with his father, Jacob Clare. The following day, Amanda "applied for an emergency motion to suspend parenting time, which the court granted, along with a temporary restraining order," per the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI). A little over a week after Noah disappeared, TBI issued an AMBER alert.
Clare then drove to Beaver Dam, Ky. where he kidnapped his 16-year-old nice Amber, reported Fox Chattanooga. The trio was soon spotted driving through Arizona in a silver Subaru. Amanda said Clare can be "erratic, and he can be difficult to deal with but it’s never been to this extreme," but said his mental state was certainly unpredictable.
A little over two weeks after Noah and Amber were taken, Julia Bonin was driving her son to school in Dana Point, Calif. when she noticed three people walking towards Doheny State Park. She later told authorities that she knew in her gut it was Clare and the two missing children, so she returned to where she saw them in order to be sure, reported the Dana Point Times.
Julia snapped a quick picture from a safe distance, and alerted authorities. Less than 20 minutes later she was told it was them.
Where is Jacob Clare now?
Per Fox Chattanooga, Clare was charged in the state of California with kidnapping Noah as well as sexually assaulting Amber. A search of various prison databases as well as the federal sex offender registry yields no results. Because he was arrested in California first, Clare would face those charges before being extradited to Tennessee and Kentucky to face the charges of aggravated kidnapping and custodial interference, per WJHL.
Another person was also charged in connection to these kidnappings. According to WKRN, a woman claiming to be Clare's spiritual advisor had "prior knowledge of the kidnapping."
Marissa Henson was charged with felony criminal responsibility after helping Clare obtain the vehicle he used to carry out the kidnappings. She also used her own phone to help Clare map out the fastest route to Kentucky, where he kidnapped his niece.