Police say a former Colorado mayoral candidate drugged a new mom with a cupcake in a plot to abduct the baby and raise it as her own
Courtesy of the Pierce County Sheriff's Department
Police allege that Juliette Parker concocted an elaborate scheme to abduct a new mom's baby to raise as her own.
Parker, a former Colorado Springs, Colorado, mayoral candidate, offered to photograph newborn babies free of charge to "build up her portfolio" on Facebook.
One of the new moms who took up Parker's offer claims Parker drugged her with a cupcake and stole her house keys in a plot to steal her baby.
Posing as a photographer, Juliette Parker, a former Colorado Springs, Colorado, mayoral candidate, made an enticing offer that many new moms couldn't pass up. In a Facebook group for new moms, Parker advertised free newborn photography sessions to moms with "a new baby that's less than 14 days old or are at least 37 weeks pregnant" and even offered to drive to their home. All they had to do was post images of their baby in the comments so Parker could scout potential candidates.
Although Parker, 38, claimed she wanted to "build up her portfolio," local police came to believe that Parker may have had more sinister motives — they say Parker wanted to abduct an infant, flee the state, and raise the child as her own.
The Pierce County Sheriff's Department arrested Parker and her 16-year-old daughter for attempted kidnapping and assault at their home in Spanaway, Washington, on Friday. Parker previously ran to be the Colorado Springs mayor last year, campaigning on tackling homelessness and affordable housing, the Gazette reported. According to Ballotpedia, Parker came in second, garnering over 11,000 votes.
After losing the race, Parker and her daughter moved back to Washington to commence an elaborate kidnapping scheme under the guise of being professional photographers, police say.
"On social media, anybody can look like a professional photographer or pretend to be anyone they want to be. But if it's too good to be true, it is," Ed Troyer, a Pierce County Sheriff detective told the Post. "It's crazy that it's gotten to the point of baby-stealing now."
An alleged plot to go 'baby-shopping'
Police have accused the mother and daughter of using the free photography sessions in a ploy to go "baby-shopping" before picking a victim for their kidnapping plot, the Washington Post reported.
According to the Pierce County Sheriff's Department, the new mom first became suspicious of Parker after her odd behavior during their photography sessions. She claims Parker took selfies with the baby and wiped her fingerprints off surfaces that she had touched in the home, which police say were part of the kidnapping plot.
"That way, when she shows up somewhere else, she's got a bunch of pictures of her with the same baby," Troyer told the Post. "She's establishing a timeline: 'Here's me and the baby a week ago. Here we are two weeks ago.' We believe that's the reason."
Then, in their third and final photography session, Parker's daughter offered the unnamed mom a cupcake, claiming she and her mother ran a bakery together.
The mother said the cupcake made her feel "numb and drowsy." She said she believed she had been drugged and immediately called local authorities. Adding to her suspicions, she discovered her house keys were missing after kicking the pair out of her home.
Soon, the Pierce County Sheriff's Department arrested Parker and her daughter for the alleged kidnapping scheme.
"Our detectives have worked tirelessly on this case, conducting multiple interviews and obtaining several search warrants. This detailed investigation identified additional victims and garnered evidence that indicates that the suspect was planning to steal a newborn baby to raise as her own," the Pierce County Sheriff's Department wrote in a statement on Facebook.
Since Parker's daughter is a minor, authorities declined to detail her daughter's involvement in the scheme. However, the daughter is said to have given the unnamed mom the cupcake that the mom believes was drugged. A toxicology report has been ordered to see if they can connect the cupcake with the woman's illness, Troyer told the Post.
Several other women say they were approached by Parker
After local authorities called for other potential victims to come forward, at least a dozen women have reported being contacted by Parker since her arrest, the Washington Post reported.
One mother, who delivered her baby on the day of Parker's arrest, said Parker offered to photograph her baby once she was born and had met with the former mayoral candidate. Victoria Morris confirmed some of Parker's odd behavior to KOMO News.
"She seemed off, but not like something that was alarming that I would have sent her away," Morris said. "But she did do some odd things when she was here. When she came in the front door she used her sleeve to open the door and she came in and she wouldn't even sit in an actual chair. She sat on the floor."
Morris said she was mortified when she saw local news about Parker's arrest and was fearful at how close she had become to being a victim in her "babynapping" plot. Morris even messaged Parker after giving birth and sent photos of her newborn daughter, Jocelyn, to the accused kidnapper.
"It just kind of broke me," Morris told KOMO News. "Because somebody you trusted, somebody who really worked their way into my life and really trusted them."
Parker was released on $50,000 bail and is set to be arraigned on Tuesday. Her daughter's case will be sent to juvenile court, according to the Washington Post.
Business Insider could not determine whether or not Parker has attained a lawyer and she could not be reached for comment.
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