Mom kidnaps her kids from their guardian, then leaves 1-year-old in car, TN cops say

A mom without custody of her children is accused of beating her kids’ guardian unconscious in order to take them, then she abandoned one in a car, Tennessee authorities said.

The 39-year-old woman is charged with neglect of a child under 8, two counts of custodial interference and theft of a vehicle, according to Davidson County court records.

McClatchy News isn’t identifying the woman to avoid identifying her children.

The incident prompted the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department to issue endangered child alerts for a 1-year-old and 3-month-old on Oct. 23, according to the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

The mom went to the home of her children’s legal guardian and attacked the woman, police said in an arrest affidavit. Then she’s accused of stealing the guardian’s Lincoln Town Car and driving off with her two boys in tow.

Shortly before midnight Oct. 23, police responding to a call for service said they found the Town Car turned off with its “doors and trunk open,” and the 1-year-old child alone in the backseat.

The Nashville Fire Department brought the child to a hospital because of the cool temperature and “numerous safety concerns regarding the child’s well being,” police said.

Law enforcement brought in a helicopter to search for the woman, until eventually, about two hours after discovering the 1-year-old in the car, officers said they found the mom with her 3-month-old baby in a residence in the Hermitage area.

Police said during those hours of searching for her, the mom never went back to the vehicle for her other child.

This story was originally published October 24, 2024 at 4:56 PM with the headline "Mom kidnaps her kids from their guardian, then leaves 1-year-old in car, TN cops say."