Pregnant Babysitter Thwarted Alleged Kidnapper From Swiping 3-Year-Old Boy
A babysitter in her ninth month of pregnancy has been praised for heroics in keeping a three-year-old boy from being kidnapped from a motel room in Michigan, fighting off a neighbor of the toddler who allegedly tried to pull him through a window.
The chilling encounter began on March 14 with the suspect talking to the child through a motel window, said the babysitter, Kendall Irland, in an interview with 9&10 News.
Irland said she recognized the man and initially didn’t think anything of it. That changed once she heard the man telling the boy that he would take him to his father and urged him to come outside with him, allegedly saying “Come here, I’ll come help you find your dad.”
The babysitter said that’s when she sprung into action to get the boy away from the suspect, who she said began trying to grab the boy through a window and pull him outside.
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“I’ve never moved that quick in my entire life,” she told 9&10 News. “I jumped out of the bed, I screamed ‘No sir!’ as loud as I could.”
Irland said she slammed the window shut and locked the motel door, which the suspect allegedly tried to access next.
The Antrim County Sheriff's Office confirmed some of the details shared by Irland on Tuesday, writing in a statement that she was “able to pull the child to safety” and that, without her quick thinking, it could have had a “tragic outcome.” The ordeal took place in Mancelona Township, a tiny community in northwest Michigan.
Police said the suspect has been charged with attempted kidnapping, child enticement, home invasion, breaking and entering with intent, and for being a habitual offender. He was not identified in police’s statement.
Irland, a friend of the child’s mother, said she was able to keep the alleged kidnapper at bay with help from her husband and the child’s father, who she called while protecting the children at the scene until police arrived.
The child’s father, Kristopher Phillips, also spoke with 9&10 News, expressing his gratitude for Irland.
“I’m thankful,” he said. “I mean, she’s pregnant right now dealing with a rough pregnancy… It was probably difficult for her, but I’m glad that her and my niece and her husband are safe and that… my kids are OK, too.”
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