Mother Says Child Protective Services Impostors Tried To 'Snatch My Kid'
MARYSVILLE, Wash. (CBS Local) -- A mother in Washington state says two strangers posing as Child Protective Services agents showed up at her house Monday and tried to take her 4-year-old son away from her.
Jessi McCombs of Marysville said the two impostors -- a woman followed by a man -- showed up to her home at 7:30 a.m. and the woman did all the talking.
"Said she was with CPS and that she was there about my son's injuries and that they were to take him into protective custody," said Jessi McCombs told CBS affiliate KIRO.
McCombs said she was initially confused.
"I thought for sure she had the wrong house until she told me his name and birthday," she said.
McCombs said both were dressed professionally.
"I asked her, 'Can you show me some identification? Can you show me this order that you supposedly have?' She refused to show me that."
That raised a red flag for McCombs.
"These people were potentially trying to just snatch my kid, so I started panicking," she said.
McCombs said she then pretended to dial 911.
"She said, 'We'll come back later,' and they left in a hurry down the stairs," she said.
A spokesperson for the state Department of Children, Youth, and Families said Child Protective Services does not have any open cases involving McCombs.
"In situations where a child must be removed from their home, DCYF staff are accompanied by law enforcement," a spokespeson said in a statement. "DCYF staff always carry agency identification and cannot remove a child from their home without a court order signed by a judge or by law enforcement taking a child into custody per RCW 26.44.050."
Police in Marysville confirmed they are investigating the encounter, although investigators say they have not received any additional reports of bogus CPS workers attempting to take children in the city.
