Everyday Heroes-Joy Fath and Lucinda Shooltz

UNDATED -- Mid-Michigan was on edge last fall after police reported a Saginaw father killed his wife and then ran away with the couple's three little girls.

Police quickly issued an Amber Alert.

As ABC12's Rebecca Trylch reports,  two women paid attention to the plea for help.

That mother and daughter are two of this year's Saginaw County American Red Cross Everyday Heroes.

The Tuesday morning before Thanksgiving was a day like many others for Joy Fath and her mother Lucinda Shooltz, except for one thing.

"So I'm home at 8, so I thought 'Oh, I'll turn on TV.' Which I don't usually do," Shooltz said.

"It just stuck in my head you know, 'BWW 6981,'" recalled Fath.

BWW 6981 was the license plate number of a car with a wanted man inside. The night before, police say, Jose Olguin beat his wife Erica to death in their Saginaw home. He then left with the couple's three little girls.

Police immediately issued an Amber Alert, fearing the girls could be harmed.

That story stuck with Joy and Lucinda, who had plans to go shopping together that day. "When we left, I said 'Joy we gotta go get gas, and I'll have to go up town.' She says 'No, D's takes checks.'"

D's was on the way, in Oakley, miles from Saginaw.  "Pulled up, and I seen this man, and his car door was open," remembered Shooltz.

The man was putting air in his tires. His car was unmistakable. "Calm as can be, she's like, 'I think that's that car from the news.' I said 'From the Amber Alert?'" Fath recalled.

"They had a picture of the guy on the news and I thought, 'Don't look like him.'  Didn't really look too much like him. But it was, and then the car and the license number," Shooltz said.

"And I'm like 'What do we do?' She's like 'Well, I don't know.' I'm like 'Give me your phone. I'll call 911," Fath recounted.

Shooltz finished pumping gas and ran inside to pay. Fath called 911 to double check the car's plate.

911 tape-dispatcher Amy Kaylor: The license plate that was given to us is Boy William William, 6981.

911 tape-Joy Fath: I just seen it. It's at Oakley. D's Party Store in Oakley, Michigan.

Mother and daughter think Olguin knew he had been spotted. "I was staring at him. I was, I was staring at him. And he was staring at us," Shooltz said.

As Lucinda paid, Olguin sped off.  The women weren't far behind. Lucinda Shooltz "Joy was in the driver's seat. Come on, come on! We gotta go," Shooltz told ABC12's Rebecca Trylch.

911 tape-dispatcher Amy Kaylor: Val put it out on the air.  I got a lady at D's Party Store is positive on the plate. They're going southbound (M)-52. He just put air in the tires.

Olguin was out of sight, but certainly not out of mind.

911 tape-dispatcher Amy Kaylor: Okay, are you behind him?

911 tape-Joy Fath: No, not yet.

911 tape-dispatcher Amy Kaylor: Okay. You are traveling southbound though?

Before they could even catch up with Olguin, police had already surrounded him in Shiawassee County.

"She heard 'em say to the 911, 'It's him.  They got 'em. They got 'em.' I thought 'Oh my gosh.  They really got him,'" Shooltz said.

After pulling into a parking lot, Olguin, with the three little girls in the car, attempted to speed off again. Police were forced to break in his car window to stop him.

Fath and Shooltz saw it all. "I mean, I know that cops, that's their job. But man oh man, were they ever on top of it," Fath said.

So were Fath and Shooltz, who continued on their way to go shopping as planned, but  with the satisfaction of knowing they helped keep three little girls safe and sound.

"And people say to me 'Gosh, you know, well, I would have never called.  You know I would have been scared.' I'm thinking 'How could you be scared?  There's three little girls that could be in danger.'"

"Just strange how it all happened. It was just like we were supposed to see this guy," Shooltz said.

"I think it really helps to get the word out that, you know, that Amber Alerts, you know, that they do work," Fath said.

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