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Kidnapped child recovered almost immediately

By Henry Rosoff
By Henry Rosoff

SEATTLE — It was the scariest 28 minutes any mother could possibly imagine -- a Seattle police spokesman said one woman stole another woman's 2 ½-year-old  while they were all in the common room of the Mary's Place daytime resource center for homeless women near Ninth Avenue and Stewart Street.

"Apparently the mother took eyes off the child for just a second, turned around, and the child was gone," Seattle police Detective Jeff Kappel said.  "The suspect had taken the child and left in an unknown direction."

Seattle police flooded the area.  Witness Ryan Christensen saw what happened when officers caught up with kidnapper only 28 minutes after the 911 call.
“There was a lady talking to two police officers,” said Christensen, who works at Vessel near Seventh Avenue and Olive Way.
 “A second lady comes up, grabs the child—obviously it was the mother, and they go into the back of the police car and handcuff the first lady.”

The arrest and recovery were made just three blocks from the resource center.  Police have not yet identified the suspect; however, the only woman in the King County Jail with a pending kidnapping charge goes by the name of Mi-Youn Kim.

"I don't understand what would compel someone to steal someone else's child," Christensen said.  "A lot of thoughts go through your mind, like: Can she not have children?  Is she barren?   Maybe she did that just because she's a little off?"

Mary’s Place did not give KIRO7 a statement Wednesday night despite repeated inquiries.  Fortunately, the child was unharmed.

KIRO

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