A woman and her adult son have been arrested after police say that they kidnapped her 4-year-old daughter. The preschooler was reportedly found on a religious compound a year after she first disappeared. A warrant had been issued for the woman's arrest in 2023. She is not the custodial parent of the child, and has reportedly been keeping the girl hidden from her father, who is the custodial parent.
There are still details about the case that have not been revealed, but it seems that despite what has happened, the child is doing well. The woman and those who helped her have been charged, but no plea or representation information has been released.
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The mother does not have legal custody of the girl.
Kimberly Dell Davidson-Drolet, who is from Utah, was indicted on kidnapping and conspiracy charges for allegedly abducting her 4-year-old daughter and transporting the child across state lines while keeping her hidden for nearly 18 months, the Utah branch of the US Attorney's Office said in a statement shared by People.
The child has been identified.
While the girl was not originally named in the statement, she has been named as Gracyn Drolet in a series of tweets from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children in April 2024. The tweets explained that Gracyn was abducted on January 18, 2023. A federal warrant for Davidson-Drolet's arrest was issued on December 20, 2023.
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Davidson-Drolet didn't work alone to allegedly kidnap her daughter.
Prosecutors allege that Davidson-Drolet was accompanied by her 30-year-old son Jaxson Davidson, and others to take Gracyn, who is listed as a "non-custodial child." They claim that Davidson-Drolet took the child from Utah to Springfield, Missouri, allegedly keeping her on a "religious compound" through July 2024.
"Prior to Drolet’s arrest, she was observed with the child who was located at a religious compound led by a religious cult leader, who is also related to Drolet," prosecutors said in a statement released on August 9.
The kidnapping was an elaborate plan.
Utah officials said that Davidson-Drolet hatched "an elaborate plan" to take Gracyn away from her custodial father in Utah, hiding her from him and law enforcement. In addition to Jaxon Davidson, Davidson-Drolet was also allegedly assisted by Dallas Davidson and Kristine Merrill, one of whom is Davidson-Drolet's sister, according to police. All four are in custody. The three allegedly assisted her in keeping their location hidden from law enforcement.
According to prosecutors, Davidson-Drolet planned the kidnapping for over 14 months, using tools like burner phones and postal services to keep Gracyn hidden. All four suspects have been charged with kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
