Woman who claimed cousin was kidnapped admits killing the boy
ALBANY, N.Y. --A 20-year-old upstate New York woman has admitted strangling her cousin, 5, and then discarding his body along a road before calling in a false report that two masked intruders took him from their home, reports CBS New York.
Tiffany Van Alstyne pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree murder for the killing of Kenneth White in the rural Albany County town of Berne. Police say her bogus 911 call Dec. 18, 2014, launched a search for the boy, who had been in her parents' care.
Authorities said Van Alstyne initially told police two men wearing black ski masks entered the house, pinned her to the floor, took the child and then drove off in a pickup truck.
Police issued an Amber Alert, which was later canceled when a search dog led investigators to the child's body in a culvert not far from the home.
Authorities said Van Alstyne covered the boy with snow to conceal the crime.
She faces 18 years in prison as a part of a plea bargain.