Two teenage girls were arrested in connection with the abduction of a baby in Milwaukee that prompted an Amber Alert to be issued early Wednesday morning, WISN 12 reported.
Schatina Cureton told the news outlet that she awoke just before 3am on Wednesday morning, only to discover that she was stumbling into every mother’s worst nightmare: her 3-month-old son wasn’t there.
After calling police to alert them about her missing child, an Amber Alert for Anthony L. Crudup Jr, Ms Curton’s son, was issued at 7:15 am, just a few hours after she made the terrible discovery.
The teen girls, 14 and 16, arrested in connection with the abduction, whose identities remain secret because of their minor status, had been staying the night at Ms Curton’s.
The Milwaukee mother, who admits she had never laid eyes on the pair before that night, explained how they’d approached her on the street asking for a place to stay, as they were precariously housed.
"They told me they were being molested and that they were being human trafficked," Ms Cureton told WISN 12 News, claims that police have not been commented on publicly.
By 1pm on Wednesday, police had received a tip about the whereabouts of the teens and, they hoped, the baby.
Not long after the initial call, police confirmed that they had arrested the two teens, alongside three other men, a 19, 33 and 56-year-old man, all unrelated to the abduction.
Ms Cureton’s son, Anthony, was returned to his mother safe and unharmed that day.
"I feel they should be prosecuted to the max because they didn’t have no business taking my baby. I mean stuff like this only happens on Lifetime movies," Ms Cureton told WISN 12 on Thursday.
"I am so tired. I was just going crazy wondering I was just so worried about my baby. I didn’t know what happened to him and what they did with him."
It’s unclear what the motivations behind the baby’s abduction were, but Ms Cureton told the local news that its clear her good will had been taken advantage of.
"You don’t hear stuff like this every day with teenagers taking babies. You know, that was crazy, and they need to be held accountable for their actions," she told WISN 12.
Police told local news that the teens’ charges will be referred to the Milwaukee County District Attorney’s Office in the next few days, and in the meantime, the pair will be held in custody at a juvenile detention centre.
