Woman with baby registries charged with kidnapping newborn
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. --A suburban Philadelphia woman with several baby gift registries was charged Friday withkidnapping a newborn at a shopping mall after befriending the mother.
Media alerts about the kidnapping on Thursday led the suspect's family to contact authorities, and the 7-week-old boy was back in his mother's care by that night.
Cherie Amoore, 32, was charged Friday with kidnapping, child concealment and other offenses. She remained in custody pending a scheduled afternoon court appearance. It's not clear if she has a lawyer to comment on her behalf, and messages left with relatives were not returned.
Police said that Amoore struck up a conversation with the baby's mother at the King of Prussia Mall. When the baby became fussy, she asked if she could hold him while the mother took a phone call and tended to another child. After the mother agreed, Amoore walked off with the baby, authorities said.
The infant, Ahsir Simmons, was found after 10 p.m. at her nearby apartment in Tredyffrin Township, more than four hours after he went missing.
Online store registries for Amoore seek baby gifts that include a $62 engraved silver frame and a baby shower date of Dec. 19. At least some of the items had been purchased.
Messages left with Amoore's family were not returned on Friday.
The infant's mother, Malika Turner, thanked police and people on social media who helped reunite her with her son.
"I would like to thank God for allowing my baby to come back. And, I want to thank the Upper Merion Police Department, and everybody on social media that helped me get my baby back," Turner told WPVI-TV late Thursday.
Prior court records for Amoore show only a handful of traffic violations.