Woman kidnaps child and goes to ‘great lengths to avoid’ being caught, MO cops say

A woman who agreed to watch a child for nearly a week was arrested after she refused to return the child to their parents, Missouri authorities say.

Melissa Walker, 49, began watching the youngster on Dec. 14, and the parents were supposed to pick up the child Dec. 19, according to court documents filed in Camden County. That date was changed to Dec. 20 when the parents were unable to make the initial pick up.

The parents were in a “domestic disturbance,” one of them told Walker, and the parent agreed to collect the child after getting off work Dec. 21, the Camden County Sheriff’s Office said. That’s when, authorities said, Walker stopped answering the parent’s phone calls and texts.

Walker eventually messaged the parent, saying the child “should just stay with her,” according to a sheriff’s report. She later texted saying she and the child were at “a thing” in nearby Jefferson City.

The parent contacted Camden County authorities the night of Dec. 21 and said their child had been kidnapped, authorities said. An endangered missing person report was then filed for the child, who remained unaccounted for.

Police began to ping on Walker’s phone, leading deputies to her place of employment. Despite Walker not scheduled to work until the following week, she was located at the Osage Beach business with the child, according to the sheriff’s office.

Authorities took custody of the child and detained Walker, court records show. Walker was charged with kidnapping and jailed on a $150,000 bond.

“Melissa went (to) great lengths to avoid being located while unlawfully keeping custody of (the child), showing a complete disregard for her actions,” the sheriff’s office said.

Camden County is in central Missouri, about a 155-mile drive southeast from Kansas City.

This story was originally published December 24, 2024 at 12:15 PM with the headline "Woman kidnaps child and goes to ‘great lengths to avoid’ being caught, MO cops say."