A Pierce County woman accused of kidnapping a toddler from Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup on Monday has been charged.
Prosecutors charged the 45-year-old woman Tuesday with second-degree attempted kidnapping and second-degree assault, court records show.
The woman appeared for arraignment in Pierce County Superior Court Tuesday afternoon. Court Commissioner Philip Thornton issued an order for a competency evaluation, records show. The woman is being held in the Pierce County Jail without bail pending a review hearing scheduled for December 24.
Charging information
Officers were dispatched to the hospital at 1:16 p.m. after a Good Samaritan nurse reported a woman had kidnapped a child from the emergency room. Several witnesses also reported to 911 that a fight occurred following the attempted kidnapping. The child’s mother was able to get the toddler back, according to charging documents.
The mother was shaking and crying as police spoke to her. She was with her friend and 3-year-old daughter. The mother said she was sitting in the waiting room when the alleged kidnapper sat across from her. The woman made faces at the child and a moment later got up to pick her up. The woman then grabbed her bag and began walking toward the exit, documents show.
The mother and her friend ran over to take the woman’s child. The woman held the child tightly in her arms, documents show. After screaming for help, nearby witnesses helped pry the child from the woman’s arms. Hospital security then arrived on scene to detain the woman.
The child had redness on her stomach and back. She was also in pain because the woman squeezed too hard, court records show. The woman was arrested after the police arrived.
The woman’s husband arrived at the hospital and spoke with police. When an officer said his wife was in custody for taking a child with her, the man did not seem surprised, documents show.
The man said his wife was dealing with psychosis and paranoia. Police noted that it is unclear whether the woman has any mental health conditions. The man told police that his wife had been admitted to Western State Hospital, a psychiatric hospital in Lakewood, last year after serving time in jail.
Records show the woman was charged in December 2023 with breaking car windows in Pierce County with an ax. She also broke the windows of a few houses in a neighborhood. The woman pleaded guilty to second-degree criminal mischief in April 2024 and was sentenced to 60 days at Western State Hospital.
Her husband told police that his wife had been acting strangely again in the past week and often laughed to herself. She stopped taking her methadone and likely consumed hallucinogenic mushrooms, documents show.
During the woman’s interactions with officers after the arrest, she often smiled at them while remaining silent. An officer concluded in documents that the woman allegedly seemed to enjoy watching him struggle with his attempts to make conversation, “as if she was pleased to waste police time and resources.”
During questioning, an officer asked the woman if she was really trying to kidnap a child and she allegedly replied, “Yes, she was.” When asked why, the woman reportedly said she thought it was her child, documents show.
