KANSAS CITY, Mo. — She's 18 years old, unemployed and nine months pregnant, so the prospect of free baby clothing may have seemed too good to pass up.
But the expectant mother didn't pay attention to the uneasy feelings she had about hopping into a car Monday afternoon with two strangers she had met online — a decision that nearly cost her life, authorities say.
Far from being anonymous benefactors, the strangers were plotting to cut the unborn baby boy from his mother's womb and leave the young woman for dead, police believe.
Authorities detailed that account Tuesday after charging Lauren M. Gash of Odessa, Mo., and Alisa D. Betts of Atchison, Kan., with felony kidnapping.
Gash, 19, also faces one count of assault; her bond was $750,000. Betts, 17, was being held; he bond was $500,000. Both are cash-only.
The victim was taken to a hospital, where all signs indicated that her baby hadn't been harmed.
Police allege that Gash and Betts met the pregnant woman at a gas station and then drove her to a Blue Springs, Mo., motel. There, police say, Betts got cold feet and left. Authorities believe Betts made the 911 call telling them that a pregnant woman was at the motel and that she was screaming.
Blue Springs Officer Brandon Shrout arrived at the motel for what he thought was a medical call. Gash answered the door.
"She told us that her friend was in labor and had some labor pains," Shrout said.
He said he looked past Gash and could see victim near a bathroom, visibly shaken. As officers inspected the scene, he said, they noticed pink duct tape around the victim's neck.
Police separated the two for interviews, and the victim told them that she had been held against her will. Gash and Betts, who was found nearby, were taken into custody.
After obtaining a search warrant, police searched the motel room. They reported finding rope, duct tape, a drop cloth, insulin, scissors and a utility knife. They also said they found a shopping list with those items on it, as well as a Wal-Mart receipt for scissors, duct tape and drop cloth, purchased late Monday morning.
A counterfeit birth certificate from "Center Point Hospital" for a Johnny Gash, as well as a wrist band that resembled those used in hospitals, also turned up, authorities said.
According to a court document, police interviewed Gash's father and sister. The sister said that Gash called her on Sunday and said that she had delivered a baby boy by C-section and that his name was Johnny. He supposedly was 21 inches long and weighed 7 pounds.
Gash's father told police that his daughter had not been acting right lately and that she had gone "off the deep end." He told officers that his daughter recently had had a baby shower with 20 to 30 guests.
Blue Springs police spokesman Detective Troy Pharr said authorities had no reason to believe that Gash had been pregnant.
The case raised memories of the December 2004 slaying of Bobbi Jo Stinnett, who died in her Skidmore home when her baby was cut from her womb. A Kansas woman, Lisa Montgomery, is scheduled for federal court trial Oct. 1 in connection with Stinnett's death and the abduction of her baby.
"That's exactly what came to mind," said Annette Howard, who described herself as the victim's former mother-in-law.
Howard said the victim was "doing well, all things considered" and "realizes that she is a very lucky young woman." She said that the victim was willing to talk to the media at a later time, but wanted to tell everyone to trust their instincts when dealing with strangers.
She described the victim as just out of high school and jobless as she waited for her baby to arrive. The free items would help.
Police think the victim met Gash over the Internet in recent weeks after posting a request for baby items. The victim told police that she had received a phone call from the woman she met online, saying that she and a friend were in Warrensburg, Mo., and on their way to Clinton, where the victim lives.
The victim told police that they met, and the two drove her around. She said she realized something was wrong when one of the women said, "How are we going to do this?" She tried to use her cell phone to call 911, but later told police that Gash sprayed her with Mace, then bound her hands.
She also said Gash sat on her stomach and violently twisted her head, which she believed was an attempt to kill her.
The assault charge against Gash carries the same penalty as attempted murder, said Jackson County Prosecutor Jim Kanatzar, who described the case as unlike anything he had seen in his 15 years with the office.
Police questioned Betts, who told them that Gash had said two men wanted them to abduct the victim so that they could take her baby. Authorities, however, said they had found no evidence that anyone else was involved.
It was not immediately clear whether either of the defendants had attorneys.
Attempts to contact Gash's family were unsuccessful, but news that Betts had been arrested stunned family members and her pastor. Betts is a kind girl, very pleasant to talk with, said the Rev. Stephen Lucas of Faith Bible Fellowship Church in Atchison.
"It's shocking," said Lucas, who hadn't visited with Alisa for several months. "... I'm just so sorry to hear this. She's going to be facing some tough times ahead."
Betts' father, Chris, died of leukemia 4 { years ago at the age of 32. She took the death hard, said her aunt, Sheri Dillon, as did many in the family.
Hearing about Tuesday's charges, she said, "breaks my heart."
"I can't even fathom the fact someone would talk her into this," Dillon said. "I know she knows right from wrong. I can't imagine my niece doing something like this. It just blows my mind."
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