Aug 22, 2006 8:45 pm US/Eastern
ACS Investigating Alleged Kidnapping By Mother
Girl, 5, Returned Unharmed; Woman Faces Several Charges
NEW YORK (AP) ―
A mother visiting her young daughter in foster care slipped away with the girl after a social worker turned her back, touching off a search that ended 18 hours later with the girl returned unharmed, child welfare authorities said Tuesday.
The 41-year-old mother was in custody Tuesday evening and was being charged with kidnapping, custodial interference, criminal contempt and endangering the welfare of a child, police said.
The Administration for Children's Services was investigating the case, which involved St. Vincent's Services, a private foster care agency under contract with the city, ACS spokeswoman Sheila Stainback said.
ACS declined further comment on the disappearance and would not discuss why the child was in foster care.
The managing director for St. Vincent's, Mary Louise Morgan, said in a statement that the mother "took advantage of a brief opportunity to abduct the child." The social worker, she added, had "conducted supervision in this case in a manner that was completely appropriate."
The incident began at about 5 p.m. Monday, when the mother went for a supervised visit of 5-year-old Egypt Lewis at a St. Vincent's facility in Brooklyn. The mother took her child to a bathroom while the supervising social worker retrieved a subway fare payment card to give to her, officials said.
When the mother and daughter didn't return from the bathroom, the social worker discovered they were gone and called police.
At about 11 a.m. Tuesday, the mother walked into St. Vincent's and returned her daughter.
Police were checking into her claim that she'd taken the child to Baltimore.
At least five children have died in the last year in homes that were known to ACS. The embattled agency underwent a shake-up after the Jan. 11 death of 7-year-old Nixzmary Brown, who prosecutors say was tortured, abused and beaten by her stepfather. Reports of her suffering had been made to several agencies, including schools, police and child welfare. Her mother and stepfather have pleaded not guilty to charges in her death.
(© 2006 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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