Woman Suspected of Attempted Kidnapping of 2-Year-Old at Wehner Park, Police Say

The Shrewsbury Police released a public awareness bulletin about an apparent attempted kidnapping at Wehner Park. 

The mother of the 2-year-old boy reported the incident on Friday. It occurred last Wednesday.

On Friday, Aug. 16, the Shrewsbury Police Department received a delayed report of suspicious activity near the Festival Pavilion at Wehner Park. On Wednesday, August 14, at approximately 8 p.m., she and her husband were near the pavilion patio near the playground.  Their two-year-old son was standing next to her, when a white female took the child’s right hand and started leading the child away from his mother.  The mother said she immediately saw the woman start to walk away from her, at which time the mother attempted to get the woman’s attention twice by saying, “Excuse me.”

The woman continued to walk away from the mother, still leading the child away.  The mother ran after the woman and put her hand on the woman’s shoulder, saying, “Hey.”  The woman released the child’s hand and said, “Sorry.”  The mother said the woman kept her head down and never looked at her, and continued to look forward and went into the parking area, at which time the mother lost sight of her.  She did not see the woman get into a vehicle. The mother described the woman’s demeanor as expressionless. 

The mother said that she found it odd that the woman made no effort to explain why she tried to lead the child away from her.

The woman is described as a white female, approximately 5’3” tall, 115-120 pounds, medium complexion, with straight short blond hair pulled back into a short ponytail.  She was wearing a royal blue dress with white polka dots and flat shoes.

The parents found the woman’s behavior very odd, but did not contact the police at that time.  When they saw a news report about a woman possibly attempting to kidnap a child at a bus stop in Ellisville, the mother immediately contacted the police to report the earlier incident.

The Police Department has not yet identified the woman described in this incident; and as of this bulletin, it has not been determined that this incident is connected to the Ellisville incident.

If you have any information regarding the identity of the woman seen in Wehner Park, or if you see any suspicious activity in your neighborhood, contact the Shrewsbury Police Department immediately.  Non-emergency 314-645-3000; or call 911 in emergency situations.