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WEST JORDAN — A woman who sparked an Amber Alert when police say she took her young daughter whom she did not have legal custody of, had threatened to kill or harm the baby girl in the past, according to court records,
Yorbalinda Lala Vargas, 34, of Murray, was charged Wednesday in 3rd District Court with child kidnapping, a first-degree felony.
On Aug. 5, Vargas took off with her 5-month-old daughter during a supervised visit, according to charging documents. Police were able to speak with Vargas on the phone but said she refused to tell officers where she was. An Amber Alert was issued by police in an effort to find the missing child.
During their investigation, West Jordan police learned that the father of the young girl had filed for a protective order against Vargas, and that the Division of Child and Family Services had submitted a "severe abuse" finding to the court during one of its hearings, the charges state.
"(Vargas) has threatened to harm the child by throwing her in a river, leave the child in a campground unattended at 2 weeks old, and held the child out a window. It was further reported that (Vargas) held a screwdriver to the child's neck, threatening to harm the child," prosecutors noted in charging documents while requesting that she be held in the Salt Lake County Jail without bail.
Vargas also stated she was going to flee to Mexico with the young girl, according to police.
About 9:30 a.m. on Aug. 6, officers received a tip that Vargas was at a house in West Valley City. Police found her there and arrested her. The baby was also found unharmed, according to police.
