A newborn baby was kidnapped on Mother's Day in Ottawa
It turns out that chatting in chat rooms for young moms can be unsafe.
Nicole Shanks, 32, of Quebec, is accused of abducting an 8-day-old infant from his parents' home in west Ottawa. The incident happened on Sunday, May 9, which was Mother's Day in Canada.
According to police, Shanks met the baby's mother in a social media chat room for young mothers. Two days before the crime, she even visited the victims' home with a gift for the newborn.
On Sunday, she managed to force her way into the house and kidnap the infant. To disarm the parents, Shanks used gas canister to repel bears. The situation attracted the attention of neighbors, one of whom managed to catch up with the woman and detain her before the police arrived.
The child was shown to doctors and fortunately was not injured, while the kidnapper will face the consequences of 8 felony counts. Shanks faces charges of kidnapping a child, possession of a dangerous weapon, violent invasion of private property and assault on a person. Investigators fear other young mothers may be victims of a similar criminal scheme.
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