A Colorado Springs mother is pleading for the return of her missing six-week-old baby girl. A recent KRDO story reported that her daughter’s father, an AWOL Fort Carson solder, kidnapped the baby. Both have been missing for two weeks.
The state of Colorado has custody of the baby, but she was living with her father at the time of the kidnapping. The mother stated that a DHS caseworker called her and told her that during a wellness check at the place where the father and the baby was staying, they found a note on the door. The note, which the caseworker would not show to the mother, stated that the suspect had disappeared with the baby.
The mother expressed concern for her daughter’s safety, citing the suspect’s post-traumatic stress disorder. She said that the suspect had witnessed a child burning to death when he was stationed in either Iraq or Afghanistan and that a child’s screaming triggers his PTSD. She said she was afraid of what he might do to the baby.
The mother said she had problems with her baby’s father since her daughter was prematurely born on July 2. At one time he and his girlfriend locked the mother in their basement while she gave birth. After banging on the door and telling them to let her out, she dialed 911. She had delivered her baby on the floor and was let out of the basement by the time an ambulance arrived. She has three other children, ages 12, 9 and 4, respectively. She did not have custody of three of the children and had joint custody of her 4-year-old, who lives in Arizona.
She blamed the caseworker for her daughter’s disappearance, criticizing her decision to place the child with her father. A DHS spokeswoman refused to discuss the case, but did state that when a child is in state custody, he or she may be placed with the next of kin since family members are considered before placing a child in foster care. The spokeswoman further stated that safety plans are sometimes put in place to help a parent eventually get custody of their child.
The father in this case is facing second-degree kidnapping charges. He took an underage child away from her mother without her consent and without lawful authority. If the child is harmed, he would face first-degree kidnapping charges, which is punishable with life in prison or the death penalty. A Colorado criminal defense attorney would work on the defendant’s behalf for as light a sentence as possible, but with Colorado’s tough stance on kidnapping–especially when a child is involved–it will be a challenge.
