Missing Mom, Girl Found At Disney World

Pennsylvania Mom Who Claimed She And Daughter Had Been Stuffed In Car Trunk Found

(AP)  A suburban mother who claimed she and her daughter had been abducted and stuffed in a car trunk is in custody in Florida after the pair were found at Disney World, where they had flown hours after reporting their abduction, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Bonnie Sweeten, 38, of Feasterville, will be charged with false reports and identity theft, both misdemeanors, Bucks County District Attorney Michelle Henry said.

"We're pleased to be able to announce that she's in custody and more importantly that her 9-year-old daughter is safe," Henry said.

Henry told reporters that Sweeten borrowed a co-worker's driver's license and presented it as her own when she bought an airline ticket and flew to Orlando, Fla., then checked into the Grand Floridian Hotel with her daughter, Julia Rakoczy. The two were arrested at the hotel Wednesday evening, Henry said.

They had minimal luggage and the hotel was paid through Friday, Henry said. Sweeten had withdrawn about $12,000 from several bank accounts over recent days but authorities were investigating whether that money had been stolen.

"We believe that there were some domestic concerns with her husband and some financial concerns as well," Henry said.

The child is to be picked up by her father, Sweeten's ex-husband, and Sweeten is to be extradited from Florida, Henry said.

In the frantic 911 calls, Sweeten, said two men had bumped her 2005 GMC Denali, carjacked her and stuffed her in the trunk of a dark Cadillac. She implied that her daughter was with her in the trunk, according to Philadelphia police Lt. Frank Vanore, who listened to tapes of the calls.

Sweeten, who is white, described her assailants as black but otherwise gave few details about their appearance, Vanore said.

"It was pretty generic," he said.

Police found inconsistencies with her story from the start, and noted that they could not find witnesses on the busy road in Upper Southampton Township who saw an abduction. The Denali was found early Wednesday on a downtown Philadelphia street, about 20 miles away, with a parking ticket issued shortly after the calls were made. Police knew the 911 calls were made in the same area.

Sweeten has two other daughters, a 15-year-old from her prior marriage and an 8-month-old with her current husband, a landscaper. Julia Rakoczy, at right, attended elementary school in Bensalem until she was withdrawn from classes May 1, said Susan Harder, an administrative assistant with the Bensalem Township School District.

A man at Sweeten's home refused to comment Wednesday and asked reporters to leave.

Neighbors said the family had lived in their relatively new development for about two years.

Sweeten is listed as a director of a New Hope-based charity called The Carlitz Foundation, run by lawyer Debbie Carlitz. The charity's stated goal is raising money for autism research and for people in Burma. The Web site lists e-mail address for Sweeten and Carlitz, neither of whom returned e-mail messages Wednesday night. Carlitz, whose law license was suspended in 2008 for one year, also did not return a phone message.

"Bonnie was a very, very organized person," said Susan Cordeiro, secretary of the parent-teacher group at Belmont Hills Elementary School in Bensalem, which Julia had attended. "She was at every meeting, she was very involved. ... She's on top of her game all the time, even when she was pregnant."

News that Sweeten and her daughter were safe touched off both sympathy and condemnation for Sweeten on Facebook. One poster expressed gratitude that the two were safe, while another said police should "put her in jail and throw away the key."

One of the posters on the site was Kathee Lipinski, of Warminster. Lipinski said she didn't know Sweeten but was concerned when she heard about a possible abduction happening so close to her home.

"I feel very stupid for believing her story and offering my prayers when she so completely duped everyone, including her family," Lipinski said. "On the other hand, I am grateful it wasn't an abduction. ... I hope her family is able to pull together and heal."

[mellie1957]

I can't feel sorry for this woman. Stressed?? One article said she lived in a home valued at $425,000. Perhaps paying that mortgage is stressful. Perhaps she should have settled for a three bedroom ranch valued at $100,000. Another article said she was being investigated for embezzling $300,000 from an employer. Sounds like her life style far exceeded her means of paying for that life style. So sad for the children.

[nishaboston]

presjfk ummm if the cops believed her story then yes there would have been victims. The cops probably would have been harrassing innocent black men. The fact is that many blacks have been accused of doing something by the opposite race for centuries now. Yes many black men committ crime that is the honest truth, but your missing the point and that is sad!

[presjfk]

" Old game--now it is standard practice the minute any white person claims a close relative was killed or kidnapped by black men, to suspect the person as well as look for the nebulous black men. The reason is--the alibi is played out--still, makes the country wonder how many black men are in jail or have been executed for crimes really committed by white persons who blamed their crimes on them.
Posted by toldyouso29"

No excuse for this woman but hardly the poster-woman for injustice against black males or anyone else. You mislabeled this the, "old game."

I am sorry to say the old game is unfortunately the fact that black males commit a large and disproportionate amount of crime in the country - much of it violent and against other black males and their communities. We as a society don' like to talk about race issues like this openly for fear of being called racist.

Bill Cosby is one of the few celebrities in a position to talk openly and honestly about the situation - and that he is black allows him to speak freely. Much of the black community has shunned him and ignored his wisdom and prefer to dwell on the issues of victimization that lead to nowhere. The problems remain and grow.

The issue of blacks in jail unjustly has been, continues and will be a focus of the justice system. But the real issue is that most of these people are in jail for real crimes and justly so. It would be more productive to talk about what is wrong with the culture in America where thuggery, ignorance and lack of a moral base as well as discrimination have played a role in so many black males committing crimes and going to prison.

Can minorities as a group, as a culture -look past the victimization just long enough to see problems of crime and violence are bigger than discrimination and require a change in the their culture? I hope so because only then will solutions be found.

[veils-2009]

In addition to tracking her cell phone to the supposed abduction point and perhaps beyond, police also used facial recognition software run on the numerous cameras installed on city roads, popular meeting areas and airports to track her down so fast to Florida. Big brother works!

[presjfk]

There are a lot of nuts out there and with this stupid culture of fame making criminals into celebrities, the result will only be more of this. This should never have made the news and if it needed to be broadcast, the names and other titillating details could have been left out.

[barbaram99]

toldyouso, I think she should not blame 2 men of colour that may not have done any thing. Blavk folk are nice . What that white lady did was wrong. It sounds like the girl was taken from her father. A MESS.It sound like the woman came from a bad marriage, I hpoe they did not throw a little in jsil, It was not her fault. The mother that is a different stroy. I read the article and I don't believe it. As the saying it will come out in the wash .
When a person speaks that voice tells me the person's gender,is the person happy,sad,pissed. The sighted read faces. I can't. My late Aunt taught me there is one race the himan race. I am wite so what. It is meaning less to me. All it is we are people of different shades of colour from white to black. My friend is white and we use the trem white trash. That woman is. The child is cute. I pity the girl as she is a pawn bewteen 2 parents.

[rrozsa]

Her crime should be listed as TERMINAL STUPIDITY. AND I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HER APOLOGIZE TO THE BLACK COMMUNITY FOR BLAMING THIS NON-CRIME ON TWO BLACK MEN. SHAME, SHAME ON HER.

Posted by mswolfestock at 7:19 AM : May 28, 2009

=====================

She needs to apologize to the male community as well; after all, she didn't blame the fictitious crime on two black women!!

[rrozsa]

Well, I am very happy that the Mother is safe!
As for that little girl, causing all those domestic problems, forcing her mom to steal money and lie about her identitiy just to get to go to Disneyland? I hope she spends some hard time for that, but since she's underage, some judge will probably just give her a slap on the wrist.
Posted by davicar2 at 5:48 AM : May 28, 2009

================================

You are too funny, Vicar!

[rrozsa]

What was her motive in doing this? It's not like she was trying to cover up the murder of the child -- the child is fine. Was she wanting attention? If so, well, she's getting it, in spades. False claims like hers just make the next real victim (a missing child) less credible.

[luvcanines]

what an evil mother. how could she just leave that 8 month old baby? and the 15 yr old? that's such a mixed-up age anyway - now mom's stupid stunt. that mom's booking photo looks like she'd had several red bulls. what an awful excuse of a parent.

[tbbaot]

Her ability to parent needs to be investigated. It hardly seems appropriate to charge with such a minimal crime. She deserves to pay back the tax payers for the cost of investigating and searching for her at the least.

[rational_1]

This should prove to be an interesting story as it unfolds. There are clearly layers to this that will be revealed. Hope it's not something really nasty.

[mswolfestock]

This woman should be put away for a long, LONG time --

Her crime should be listed as TERMINAL STUPIDITY. AND I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR HER APOLOGIZE TO THE BLACK COMMUNITY FOR BLAMING THIS NON-CRIME ON TWO BLACK MEN. SHAME, SHAME ON HER.

And for the fact that she involved her daughter in this massive deceit says nothing good RE: her so-called "parenting skills."

I really resent the way she tied up so many people within the law enforcement community - they could have been fighting REAL crimes while she was weaving her sick tale of abduction.

This woman is very, very sick.

[toldyouso29]

Toldy : You can not generalize about any one group or race. Shame on you.
Posted by hamiltongrad at 6:56 AM : May 28, 2009


sure I can. I just did. You do it too--every time you open your questionable pie hole and offer your pablum about poor misguided women, you stereotype and pigeonhole. We as Americans generalize about gender, sexual orientation, race , political parties, religion, class or economic groups, etc all the time--it is the American way. LOL

And the remarks about whites using black men as the scapegoat of choice is too true to be denied.

[toldyouso29]

This article fails to mention that she claimed ''two black men' kidnapped her and her daughter. Can't believe people are still doing this like Susan Smith. That was played out in the 90's!!! What a pathetic woman!
Posted by nishaboston at 3:31 AM : May 28, 2009
--------------------
What pathetic reading comprehension skills. Here's a cut out from the article.

In the frantic 911 calls, Sweeten, said two men had bumped her 2005 GMC Denali, carjacked her and stuffed her in the trunk of a dark Cadillac. . . . .
Sweeten, who is white, described her assailants as black but otherwise gave few details about their appearance,
Posted by batchitcrazy at 5:09 AM : May 28, 2009


What do you call failed reading comprehension skills? That the person posted the number of black men who were made up by this woman was 2? Because other than that, the summarization of "Black men" being held up as the bogey man alibi for this case and that it has been done many times before and been found out was dead on, and you know it. (reference the cases of white males who claimed that their wives were killed by black men, only to find out that the husbands did it) cases in Philiadelphia, Boston, TX, etc....

Old game--now it is standard practice the minute any white person claims a close relative was killed or kidnapped by black men, to suspect the person as well as look for the nebulous black men. The reason is--the alibi is played out--still, makes the country wonder how many black men are in jail or have been executed for crimes really committed by white persons who blamed their crimes on them.

[Oregon_State_OSU]

I am sure ther HallMark will make this into a Made For TV Movie.

HallMark makes the worst moves of all time. I cant wait for this one !

[hamiltongrad]

Toldy : You can not generalize about any one group or race. Shame on you.

[hamiltongrad]

for all of you who wonder about her leaving her other two kids, including an 8 month old, you can not judge unless you know the whole story. What stress was she under ? What kind of childhood did she have ? was she abused or stressed at work ? Was she made to work at a difficult job just to get money, when her heart was not into this ?

[toldyouso29]

Sweeten, who is white, described her assailants as black but otherwise gave few details about their appearance, Vanore said.

"It was pretty generic," he said."

Yes. Yes we all kind of know the drill by now. When a person of another race seeks an alibi for stuff they did--the bogey man of choice is a different race--for whites the choice is usually a black man.

but in cases of kidnapping, serial killing or murder where money or payback is not involved the number of blacks who would or have done this kind of thing is less than 2% of all cases.

In fact, the profile for serial rapists who also kill their victims is a white male, age 35-50, some college, usually a sociopath.

Usually at least once a year, a husband or wife kills their spouse and usually, they blame a black male or several black males for the crime--it is so easy to do because as a society, we have sort of held black males up as the ultimate criminal.

The truth is, when black males commit most crimes (other than rape) the motivation is not for the fun of it. Usually it is either revenge against a specific person who they feel has done something really wrong to them, or it involves money. Even the gang/drug and sexxxx trade violence that blacks are most often associated with involve money.

We seldom see black mass murderers or black serial killers--and what is "generic" about this case, is the claiming of a crime by a white person, who then, in text book style, blame a black person--usually a male.

[hamiltongrad]

cry for help

another sad story about a too stressed mom who cracked. This time there is a happy ending. Obviously, society needs to understand why she did what she did, and to help support her and her daughter, in her cry for help.