Attempted Kidnapping at Tupelo Mall

[momof3]

I work with the elderly and was just told of a very disturbing thing that happened at the Mall at Barnes Crossing a couple of weeks ago. The granddaughter of one of my residents was shopping with her two children, one is a four year old little boy and the other is a small baby girl. (not sure of the age--I know that it's less than one year old) She said that several times of her shopping in a store, an older Asian or Hispanic woman came by and remarked how beautiful her little girl was. She would smile politely and say thank you.

She said that she was looking through a rack of clothes and had the baby in a stroller and the four year old standing beside her. While she was distracted and looking through this rack, her four-year old said, "Mommy, that lady just took off with our baby!!" She said that she looked in the stroller and sure enough, the baby was gone and the Asian/Hispanic woman was running through the store with the baby.

She said that she started chasing her and caught up with her outside the store (in the middle of the mall). She grabbed her by her hair and sat down on her until help arrived. However, (and this is the kicker of the whole story) because the Asian/Hispanic woman did not take the baby outside of the mall, they couldn't press charges against her. The police said that it's not considered attempted kidnapping/kidnapping unless the child is taken from the building. This woman supposedly didn't have citizenship or a green card. The police also told her that the baby was probably going to be sold on a black slavery market somewhere.

I received this as an email and thought it was a spoof and didn't forward it, however, then I heard it firsthand from my resident. She's elderly, but her mind is sharp as a tack!! I don't think that she would make this up or confuse any of the facts.

If there are any officers on this post, could you please clarify this? If someone tries to kidnap my child and they don't make it out of the building, can they still be arrested for kidnapping/attempted kidnapping?

If not, and this happens to me, I won't bother calling the police, I'll call family members and friends, and we'll take care of this the old fashioned way!!

[peasNcarrots]

Not true...

[peasNcarrots]

notice how these always crop up during the holidays?.....Trust me, I know for a fact this did not happen.....

[zipzam]

i think i got this email 2 years ago.

i bet you'll find the same story with city's names changed.

[momof3]

With all due respect, I actually know the family that this happened to, so it's definitely true!! I did receive this as an email and I thought it was a spoof, so I didn't forward it, however, then I heard about it first hand and I know that it's true!!

[peasNcarrots]

Why did you ask this question "If there are any officers on this post, could you please clarify this? .........if you were gonna ignore the response?

IT DID NOT HAPPEN...QUIT SPREADING LIES...IF you wanna believe it happened go ahead...but please stop spreading this Lie

[King Rat]

I don't believe it for a minute. No way the cops would not arrest a woman for grabbing a baby and running away with it. But I can tell you one thing for sure: Had it been my child and I caught up with the abductor he/she would've been carted away on a gurney with the sheet all the way up.

[momof3]

peasncarrots said:

Why did you ask this question "If there are any officers on this post, could you please clarify this? .........if you were gonna ignore the response?

IT DID NOT HAPPEN...QUIT SPREADING LIES...IF you wanna believe it happened go ahead...but please stop spreading this Lie

P N C--I'm sorry that you feel that I'm spreading lies. Maybe my resident has gotten confused. I know that her mind is as sharp as a tack and that she told me this. I was not there when it happened and it didn't happen to my child, however, I don't think that she would lie to me. I asked if the police could clarify the fact that the person has to take your child out of the building in order for it to be classified as a kidnapping.

Let me clarify this one last thing..I AM NOT SPREADING LIES!!! I am merely letting you know what was told to me by a resident of mine!!!! Please do not accuse me of this again!!

[peasNcarrots]

Whatever!....Tell the the tooth fairy and santa claus I said hi

[TF Admin]

May I bring a little levity to this. I received an email last Christmas that claimed the EXACT same thing. I wish I still had it, I would post it. A woman at the Mall turns around to find her baby gone and another woman running away child in her hands. She catches her in the Mall, and when Police arrive they say they can do nothing because the perp never left the Mall property and she is not a legal citizen.

I worked at the PD for six years and I feel qualified to say that if this happened charges would be brought...period. It doesn't matter WHERE the snatching took place. It doesn't matter if the perp is an illegal alien. If nothing else, the woman can bring charges against the perp. It's that simple.

From where I sit, charges should have been filed by SOMEONE. If they were, then the press would report it.

Momof3, the best way to settle this is ask the family that this happened to why they have not pressed charges, and I'm confident you'll have your answer. We are all skeptical about this because of the long, sordid Mall Kidnapping emails that circulate every year during the holidays, and the fact that the press did not jump on it. Believe me, if it happened and no charges were filed by police, the press would have questioned them big time.

TF

[zipzam]

admin said:

May I bring a little levity to this. I received an email last Christmas that claimed the EXACT same thing.

TF

me too TF. well, i dunno if it was the "exact" same thing i got last year (maybe the year before), but it was the same basic story.
child taken, woman running, didn't leave the mall, can't prosecute, etc.

hmmmmmm, wonder if snopes has it?

[zipzam]

well.. i went to snopes and found nothing.

oh well... i know i've seen it in an email a year or two ago.

i'm wondering if this elderly lady was told this story from someone and passed the story along without saying "i heard".

that may have caused the confusion.

[momof3]

I just talked with the resident that told this and she still says that it happened to her granddaughter. I asked her if she was with her at the time that this happened and she said no. I do know that she believes that it happened and believes her granddaughter. However, this may be where the problem arises. Her granddaughter might be the one who is lying about this. I didn't say anything to my resident about this, because I didn't want to accuse her granddaughter of "spreading lies". I don't believe my resident is lying nor do I believe she is making it up, however, I can't vouch for her granddaughter. I don't like to think that people treat their elderly family members this way, but I do see this happen on a daily basis. I honestly don't know why the granddaughter would have told her grandmother somthing like this, knowing it would upset her.

This was told to me by a resident, and I passed it on to this forum. I apologize if anyone thought that I was making it up or was trying to pass on any internet "spoofs". I assure you that this is not in my character.

Peas n Carrots--You need to learn some manners. What you said to me and the way you reacted was uncalled for. I have never done anything to you to deserve this type of disrespect. You have major issues with anger and I suggest you get some help. There was no reason to be rude and I believe that you have shown your true colors today. You personally attacked me for no reason and I don't appreciate it.

[peasNcarrots]

MOM My therapist agrees with you

[peasNcarrots]

what peed me off was that you posted the story as truth even though you didn't know if it was true or not....scaring people during the holiday season about shopping is very irresponsible.......do some research next time........google.com is your friend..