Authorities in Virginia have issued an Amber Alert for a child who they say is in "extreme danger" after his father beat his mother and then kidnapped the boy.

The child, 3-year-old Zion Clinton Amir Williams, was last seen Wednesday evening in a car with his mother and father, 28-year-old Joshua Christopher Williams, at Clevland Court in Spotsylvania.

However, at some point while they were hanging out, the elder Williams began attacking the mother, who was his ex-girlfriend, until she was able to escape from the vehicle, according to Capt. Jeff Pearce of the Spotsylvania County Sheriff's Office.

The mother managed to make it to the hospital where she was treated for injuries that she suffered during the attack, and while that was going on, the elder Williams drove off with Zion still inside at around 7 p.m.

Following the abduction, police launched a manhunt for the elder Williams and Zion. They report that they managed to find the vehicle that they were in - a tan, 2015 Altima Nissan with Virginia tags VHN4346 - but no one was inside.

This incident is fairly similar to one that happened in Ontario just last month. At the time, an Amber Alert had been issued by local authorities when a man, Mario Rodrigues, 35, reportedly broke into his ex-wife's house early one morning and abducted his daughter, 4-year-old Julia Dela-Cruz. Authorities managed to find the two in a vehicle several hours and the Amber Alert was officially cancelled when it crashed following a brief police chase. Cruz was hospitalized for non-life threatening injuries, while Rodrigues was arrested.

In the meantime, police fear that Zion is in extreme danger since Joshua has reportedly threatened to harm or kill him in the past, prompting them to turn to the public for help.

Joshua Cristopher Williams is described as a black male, 5-foot-11 and weighing 160 pounds with black hair and brown eyes. He was last seen wearing a navy blue and gray sweatshirt with blue jean pants.

Zion, on the other hand, is described as a black male, 3-foot-5 and weighing 35 pounds with brown eyes and brown hair. He was last seen wearing a blue and white "Cars" diaper.

Anyone who has information about their whereabouts are encouraged to call Virginia State Police at 1-800-VA-CHILD.