A Latina woman whose newborn was kidnapped by a knife-wielding woman posing as an immigration agent was briefly reunited with her baby on Saturday, then saw him and her three other children taken from her and put into state custody.
Rob Johnson, a spokesman for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, said the children were taken from their mother, Maria Gurrolla, “purely for safety reasons,” though he would not detail why the state deemed they were in danger.
“Our focus is on the children, and under the current situation right now, we think the safest thing to do is take the children into state custody,” he said.
Gurrolla, 30, was stabbed in her home on Tuesday, just four days after giving birth to Yair Anthony Carillo, who was snatched by the attacker.
Nashville police said the baby was found in good health Friday night at a home in Ardmore, Alabama, about 129km south of Nashville near the Tennessee line and a woman there was arrested in the case.
Earlier Saturday, officials said the newborn would stay with a foster family as authorities made arrangements for Gurrolla to be reunited with her son.
Johnson said officials made arrangements for Gurrolla to see her baby on Saturday afternoon and hold him, and she brought her three other children — ages three, nine and 11 — with her. It’s unclear when the children might return home.
Gurrolla is Latina but her immigration status and nationality are not clear. She was released from the hospital on Thursday.
Joel Siskovic, an FBI special agent in the Memphis division, said he could not say why the children were put into state custody.
“As of now, there’s no indication that there’s an ongoing threat to the family,” he said.
Tennessee Bureau of Investigation Director Mark Gwyn identified the arrested woman as Tammy Renee Silas, 39, of Ardmore. Federal authorities formally charged her on Saturday with kidnapping. The Morgan County Sheriff’s office said Silas was picked up by US Marshals on Saturday morning, though it was not known where she was being taken.
The baby and Silas were found in Ardmore, and Silas did not resist arrest, Gwyn said. Authorities said they had no word on a possible motive. Police in Nashville did not know if Silas has a lawyer.
The infant’s mother told police a heavyset white woman with blonde hair arrived at her home posing as an immigration agent and attacked her with a knife.
Gurrolla told investigators that during the abduction, she heard the woman make a phone call and tell someone in Spanish words to the effect of “the job is done” and that the mother “was dying,” Siskovic said.
Siskovic said Silas took the victim’s cellphone, which helped investigators locate Silas.
Silas’ live-in boyfriend, Martin Rodriguez, said Silas had told him she was adopting a baby from a cousin who had to go to jail, and was going to El Paso, Texas, to get the child.
He said was shocked by the arrest and didn’t think her capable of the crime.
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