A babysitter allegedly abducted and tortured a toddler she had babysat on a few occasions before abandoning her in a pile of leaves a few miles from her home, WCVB (Boston) is reporting.
Abigail Hanna, 21, was arrested Saturday and charged with a variety of charges related to her alleged abduction and torture of 2-year-old Lyndon Albers.
At about 7:00 a.m. Friday, Lyndon’s parents called 911 and reported the toddler missing, saying she had last been seen at about 4:15 a.m. that day (other reports, including by the New York Post and the Daily Mail, give a conflicting account of when the toddler was last seen, saying it was 3:00 a.m.). Police began an intensive search for the toddler, bringing in K-9s and police helicopters.
At about 10:00 a.m., just as police were about to issue an Amber Alert, a passing motorist — identified as Tom Crosby — called 911 to report having found a naked child shivering atop a pile of leaves, a few miles away from Lyndon’s home. He would later say that at first, he thought the child was a doll.
“Lo and behold, there was a little child sitting in the leaves, just sitting there. [Lyndon] looked like she was in a bit of shock, shivering and shaking. I tried not to startle her. I approached her slowly and I noticed she was cold, so I went over to her. I asked her name and if she was hurt at all. I thought I heard ‘No’ at one point, and decided it was safe to pick her up.”
The motorist wrapped Lyndon in a blanket and brought her into his car to warm up while waiting for police to arrive.
@Bward3 talks with the #Rowley couple that found 2 y/o Lyndon Albers on the side of the road this morning. #FOX25 pic.twitter.com/1VnmzeAtJT
— Adam Liberatore (@bostonTVguy) November 20, 2015
Besides being abandoned and naked, police said that Lyndon was also shaved, had a “softball-sized” bruise on her head, and had cigarette burns on her body.
#BREAKING: Two year-old Lyndon Albers, missing Hamilton girl, has been found and being taken to the hospital #7News pic.twitter.com/GVGVOKdUSV — 7News Boston WHDH (@7News) November 20, 2015
Lyndon was later to Boston Children’s Hospital, where she was listed in fair condition.
Later Saturday, police executed a search warrant at the home of Abigail Hanna, of nearby Topsfield. Hanna had been a student at a nearby college and at one time had been Lyndon’s babysitter.
Although initial reports claimed that Hanna had been fired from her job as Lyndon’s babysitter, a police official said that Hanna had only babysat for Lyndon “once or twice,” according to the Boston Herald. Neighbors interviewed by the Herald said they did not recognize Hanna from police photographs provided to the press, and stated that another person was the family’s regular babysitter.
An investigation by the Daily Mail reveals that Abigail Hanna’s version of her life that she portrayed on social media, and her actual life, seem to differ in some key ways. In her Facebook profile, which has since been deleted, Abigail claimed to be studying at nearby Gordon College, a small Christian college. In fact, Abigail had only attended Gordon “briefly,” according to a statement from the college.
“The Gordon College community was shocked and saddened to learn that a former student who was briefly enrolled at Gordon has been charged in the case of the toddler who was taken from her home in Hamilton.”
As of this post, police have not indicated a possible motive for the babysitter, who has officially been charged with kidnapping, assault and battery by means of a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a child, and breaking and entering.
[Image via Facebook via the New York Post, Massachusetts State Police via the Daily Mail]
Babysitter Abigail Hanna Charged With Abducting, Torturing 2-Year-Old Found Naked, Shaved, And Abandoned Miles Away From Her Home is an article from: The Inquisitr News