An Arkansas mother has been charged of staging a fake kidnapping of her disabled daughter to stop her from talking to strangers online.
Tamara "Tammi" Hamby, 59, was released from a Crawford County jail after she turned herself in to police on Wednesday. Authorities charged her and three other individuals with endangering an incompetent person. Hamby also faces conspiracy to commit kidnapping charges.
Hamby Wanted to Teach Her Daughter the Dangers of Talking to Strangers Online After She Started Communicating with a Scammer Posing as Country Singer
According to an arrest warrant Hamby allegedly orchestrated the fake kidnapping plot to teach her 22-year-old daughter, who is mentally disabled, the dangers of talking to strangers online.
Jeffrey Hamby, Tammi Hamby's husband and the father of the 22-year-old, said the family had been dealing with an online scammer for several months. Their daughter believed the scammer was country singer Luke Bryan, and Jeffrey Hamby said, "We tried everything, and she has not stopped communicating with him, and he was going to get her. He was going to take her."
Tammi Hamby Recruited Her Daughter's Caregiver and Her Two Friend to Have Her Kidnapped
According to the arrest warrant, Tammi Hamby allegedly recruited Shannon Childers, a live-in certified nurse assistant who was a caregiver for the Hambys' daughter, to concoct a scheme to have the young woman kidnapped by people who said they could introduce her to Luke Bryan. Childers then allegedly roped in two of her friends, David Quach and Nico Austria, to take part in the plot.
Police said that Tammi Hamby planned to have her daughter taken out of the house and tied to a tree in a neighboring field. Tammi Hamby would then step in and rescue her daughter.
The alleged plot was carried out on Nov. 17, when Quach and Austria showed up at the Hambys' residence donnng ski masks. Both men told the daughter that they were sent by Luke Bryan to come get her. The daughter then "willingly" followed the men into their car "with her guitar and her teddy bear."
The Staged Kidnapping Plot was Exposed After the Daughter Managed to Escape and Call 911
According to the affidavit, Austria got lost while driving and brought the daughter to the wrong field. They followed through with their alleged plan to zip-tie the young woman to a tree and threaten to harm her. However, the daughter broke free and ran for help before Austria and Quach tackled her. They allegedly tied her to the tree again and left. Police said that Tammi Hamby was watching the whole thing unfold.
The daughter was able to free herself a second time and run to a nearby house to call 911.A deputy with the Crawford County Sheriff's Office who interviewed the daughter said that she "was in fear for her life and clung tightly to a teddy bear the entirety of me speaking with her during her interview."
Tammi Hamby, Childers, Quach, and Austria were all arrested and booked into jail. Tammi Hamby's bond was set at $125,000, which she posted. Bond was set at $25,000 for the three other defendants.
Jeffrey Hamby was not charged and stated that he did not know about the alleged plot. The Hambys' daughter was taken into custody by the Arkansas Department of Human Services after filing an emergency petition. Tammi Hamby is due in court again on Dec. 10.
