Minneapolis woman claimed 5-year-old girl she kidnapped as her own, charges say
MINNEAPOLIS — A Minneapolis woman is accused of kidnapping a 5-year-old girl from her grandmother's yard late last month.
A criminal complaint filed in Hennepin County charged the 26-year-old woman with one count each of kidnapping and false imprisonment.
Police responded to a kidnapping call on the 2400 block of Ogema Place in the Little Earth neighborhood of Minneapolis on the evening of Aug. 22.
Court documents say the victim's grandmother said she had been inside cooking dinner while the girl played outside in the courtyard. When she went outside around 7 p.m., the grandmother did not see the girl. She searched the neighborhood for approximately 20 minutes before she went to security.
Charges say Little Earth security provided officers with a video of the kidnapping. The video allegedly shows the girl playing outside of her residence at 6:28 p.m. when a woman approaches her and begins interacting with her. At 7:01 p.m., the woman is recorded picking up the girl and carrying her north.
The girl's parents were shown a picture of the suspect and confirmed they did not know her.
A couple of hours later, Metro Transit Police received a report of a woman who looked "strung out" dragging a child up and down the street, charges say. Responding officers found the woman and child near the south tower of the Franklin light rail station.
The woman made statements to police, including, "This is my daughter," "The child was born July 31, 2018," and "I just got her back," according to the criminal complaint. She also allegedly claimed the child had been trafficked and sexually abused.
The girl told officers she did not know the woman and that she had been taken from her grandma's residence while playing outside. She reported that the woman took her underwear and shoes and threw them off a bridge.
Minneapolis police arrested the woman a short time later.
In a statement to investigators, the woman said the child had been "waiting" for her and stated, "It was my f****** child, and even if it wasn't, it was being f****** molested and she was left outside by her f****** self."
The woman's bail has been set at $50,000 with conditions.
If convicted, the woman could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison.