Woman Compliments Baby At Department Store — Mother Becomes Suspicious When She Says She Wants To Become Baby's 'Godmother'

Jan 03, 2020 by apost team

In an unfortunate encounter at a Target in Shawnee, Kansas, back in November 2018, one woman came all too close to losing her baby to a known kidnapper. 

While Rachel Youngs was shopping at her local Target with her 9-week-old daughter Waverly, she was engaged in conversation by a young woman with a dog. Youngs told local news outlets that she complimented the woman, who seemed to be very friendly, on her dog. The woman responded by complimenting Youngs’ baby.

“I made a comment on how cute her dog was, and she went around to the front of my cart and made a comment about how cute my baby is,” Youngs told WECT TV 6. “She made a comment saying, ‘Yeah, I’ll trade you my dog for your baby,’ and I thought she was just joking."

Unfazed, Youngs continued to talk to the woman and learned that she had a dog grooming business and also did some babysitting on the side. When the woman asked Youngs if she could hold her daughter Waverly, Youngs handed her little one over to her. But she almost immediately regretted it.

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After the woman had Waverly in her arms, she began to say things that made Youngs uncomfortable. First, the woman inquired if Youngs already had a godmother for her daughter. When Youngs replied no, she offered to be Waverly's godmother and "split everything 50/50." The woman then proceeded to casually mention that she had been arrested for attempted kidnapping.

At this point, according to Youngs, the strange woman started walking off with her daughter.

“And she says, ‘Just so you know, I was arrested for attempted kidnapping.’ That’s when I was like, OK you know what, there’s something wrong. All of a sudden, starts walking off with my daughter. I yelled to her, I said, ‘I need my baby back, please. Give me my baby back,’” Youngs said.

Thankfully, the lady then stopped and handed Youngs the baby back. Youngs immediately asked the staff at Target to contact the police. Upon arrival, the police informed Youngs that since she had handed her daughter over willingly, there had been no crime committed. Even so, authorities have identified the woman and are conducting an investigation.

“(The police) just said, ‘Well, there’s nothing we can really do because you technically gave her permission to hold your baby,’” Youngs told the local outlet. “And my exact words were, ‘Okay, so me giving her permission to hold my baby for a couple minutes gives her permission to take off with my child?’"

According to Rady Children’s Hospital in San Diego, 2,100 missing children reports are filed daily in the United States. While that is a staggeringly high number, there are a few things you can do to keep your children safe. One of the most important tips that the children’s hospital proposes is that you should always supervise your kids, especially in public places like malls, movie theaters, parks and bathrooms. The hospital also says that parents should never leave their kids in a stroller or car alone. Finally, keep your childrens’ medical records up-to-date, and make sure that you have accurate ID-like photos of them taken every six months.

What do you think about this story? Have you ever experienced something similar? Let us know — and pass this story on to other parents and people who need to know about this.