LIVONIA, Mich. – A teenage girl under the age of 18 is now the fourth person to be charged in connection the plot to kidnap two infant twin boys from their mother in Livonia.
A 16-year-old girl, whose identity is not being released due to her age, was charged Monday, Aug. 28, for her alleged involvement in a conspiracy to kidnap 14-day-old boys from a hotel in Livonia. Two other teenagers and a 23-year-old woman were also charged last week in connection with the abduction.
The three teens charged are accused of assisting the 23-year-old woman, who was also charged, with stealing the young children for herself on the night of Aug. 20. An Amber Alert was issued for the babies the next morning, and the children were handed over to Detroit police hours later.
Authorities were initially looking for two females believed to be responsible for the abduction who were captured on camera at the hotel. Two people were handcuffed and detained by police on Aug. 21, but they were cleared and released after police questioned them. Four individuals were arrested on Tuesday, Aug. 22 -- though it’s unknown who among them was at the hotel.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office is accusing the unnamed minor; Curtis Lee Slay, 18; Davion Demetrius Sherman Chandler, 19; and Shantell Re-Azia Jones, 23, of working together to steal the twin boys from their mother.
Officials said Jones befriended the twins’ mother with a plan to steal the children, and that the 16-year-old, Slay and Sherman Chandler “aided in this effort.” The group allegedly promised the mother “some much-needed assistance to gain access to her children with the express intent [of] stealing them,” Prosecutor Kym Worthy said.
Here’s what happened
At around 10:10 p.m. on Aug. 20, officials say two of the defendants were at the Livonia hotel with the infants and their mother. When the mother briefly left the room to grab a drink from the vending machine, the individuals kidnapped the children, officials said.
It was not said which of the four defendants physically kidnapped the children, but two females were captured on camera walking in the hotel and covering their faces.
The mother called 911 and reported that her children were missing from the hotel. Livonia police Cpt. Gregory Yon said on Aug. 21 that the individuals involved were said to be “friendly acquaintances.”
An Amber Alert was issued early on the morning of Aug. 21 in an attempt to locate the missing children. Michigan State Police, FBI agents, and officers from Livonia and Detroit began to investigate the children’s disappearance.
At around 9:30 a.m. the same day, the infant twin boys were dropped off at the front desk of the 9th Precinct of the Detroit Police Department, according to police Chief James White. The babies were taken to the hospital for examination, and appeared to be in good condition.
Police did not identify the person who brought the babies to the precinct.
On Tuesday, Aug. 22, Livonia police arrested four people believed to be responsible for the kidnapping. Family members told Local 4 that they didn’t know the identity of those arrested, and that they wanted to get to the bottom of the situation.
The twin’s paternal grandmother, Yvette McDonald, said she believes people who were offering help on social media were behind the abduction -- which authorities now confirm.
The charges
Jones, Slay, Sherman Chandler, and the unnamed minor were each charged with the following:
- Two counts of kidnapping - child enticement.
- Two counts of unlawful imprisonment.
- One count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping - child enticement.
- Three counts of larceny in a building.