Police: Mom offered men car to kidnap daughter

Saturday, March 1, 2014

JOPLIN, Mo. — A southwest Missouri woman is accused of offering to give two men her car if they helped kidnap her 1-year-old daughter from the custody of the girl's father.

The Joplin Globe reports 27-year-old Elise Deboutez of Nevada, Mo., is charged with single counts of attempted child kidnapping and burglary, two counts of first-degree assault and three counts of armed criminal action.

Prosecutors say Deboutez recruited two Joplin men at a party about a week before a failed kidnapping attempt Oct. 19.

Joplin Police Detective Chip Root testified at a hearing Thursday that Deboutez admitted offering to give the men an Audi worth $5,000 to $7,000 if they would help get her daughter back from the girl's father.

Her public defender did not immediately return a phone message Saturday.