Fourth person held over baby's abduction

A fourth person has been arrested in the abduction of a five-month-old girl from her adopted parents’ home in north-east Mississippi, authorities said.

Amanda Bell, who described herself as a friend of the birth mother’s sister, turned herself in yesterday to Itawamba County authorities and appeared at an initial hearing, said Sheriff Phil Crane. She was jailed on a £50,000 bond.

Police say three masked people broke into the home of Jennifer and Matt Erickson near Mantachie, Mississippi, on July 21, tied up Jennifer Erickson at gunpoint and made off with the baby.

A special alert was issued and baby Madison was found unharmed 18 hours later at Bell’s home in Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The baby’s birth mother, Jamie Kiefer, and her sister, Rikki Swann, were arrested and they remain in a North Carolina jail awaiting extradition to Mississippi.

The father of Kiefer and Swann – Joseph Richard Triste, 58 – surrendered on Tuesday. His bond has been set at £100,000.

All four face state kidnapping and armed robbery charges. Kiefer and Swann pleaded not guilty on Monday in a North Carolina court.

Bell and Triste also have been charged with burglary. The group also faces federal charges, an FBI spokesman said.

One of the women did not participate in the home invasion but Crane did not say which one and said he did not want to give out details of an ongoing investigation.

“There were three people that entered the home and carried the child out,” Crane said. “Some of the charges could be revised on one of them.”

Swann and Bell are “best friends,” Bell said in an interview last Sunday. Their husbands are in the same US Army unit and are serving in Afghanistan.

Bell said Swann lived at the Fort Bragg army base until her husband was shipped overseas. She then returned to Belmont, Mississippi, where Kiefer also lives.

She said Swann was staying with her but that she was unaware of the abduction. “I had no idea about the kidnapping,” Bell said.

Bell said Swann called her and was “hysterical” after hearing about the abduction. Bell was adamant that Swann did not participate and had come to her home from Atlanta, where she was on holiday, not Mississippi.

Bell also said she did not realise Kiefer and the baby were in her home until authorities knocked on the door early on Sunday. When asked if Swann allowed Kiefer and Madison into the home while Bell was asleep, Bell said: “I’m assuming so.”

Authorities said Madison was given up for adoption soon after she was born and the abduction came after custody was disputed.

Although the adoption has not been finalised in court, Crane said a judge signed custody of the child over to the Ericksons before the abduction happened.

The Ericksons have declined comment since bringing the baby back to their rural home north of Mantachie.

Bell said Kiefer was pressured by her ex-husband to put the baby up for an “informal” adoption and took the baby because she could not get her back through legal means.

“She had no help and she did what a desperate mother has to do,” Bell said.