Kidnap claim unravels: Baby thrown down hill, mom charged


Save Story

Estimated read time: Less than a minute

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

ASHEVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Authorities in North Carolina say the claim that a 7-week-old baby was kidnapped has unraveled and the mother has been charged with attempted murder after the infant was found at the bottom of a ravine.

Henderson County Sheriff Lowell Griffin announced Friday that 35-year-old Krista Noelle Madden is now jailed on a count of attempted first-degree murder.

The sheriff said deputies encountered Madden on a nearby rural road Thursday evening, and she initially claimed she was able to escape from kidnappers who took her baby.

Griffin said a woman later called 911 with good news. She happened to hear the infant's faint cries and sent her husband climbing 75 feet down a ravine to recover the baby. Her car seat was found nearby.

Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Most recent U.S. stories

Related topics

The Associated Press
    KSL.com Beyond Business
    KSL.com Beyond Series

    KSL Weather Forecast

    KSL Weather Forecast
    Play button