Kristen Smith, 31, was indicted last Wednesday for kidnapping Kayden Powell, her half-sister’s newborn baby.

Brianna Marshall, Smith’s 18-year-old half-sister, woke up in the middle of the night on February 6 to find her 5-day-old son and her half-sister missing from their home. She immediately called 911 to report the incident. The authorities then called Smith on her cell phone while she was driving through Iowa and asked her to stop for questioning.

Inside Smith’s vehicle, the baby’s car seat, stroller, and clothes were found. However, the baby was nowhere in sight. Smith denied knowing the baby’s whereabouts, but the police still took her into custody on the account of an outstanding warrant.

Investigators also found a prosthetic pregnancy belly in Smith’s car, including Facebook messages and emails of Smith saying that she had given birth or is pregnant. The police are still conducting an ongoing investigation to get more answers about the incident.

Police Chief Mike Horihan was the one who found the baby 29 hours later. Baby Kayden was placed inside a tote bag and left behind a gas station in below zero temperatures. The location was about 500 yards from the place where the police stopped Smith the previous night. Horihan also said that he feared for the worst. He was so surprised when the baby cried. The baby was then taken to a nearby hospital for evaluation and treatment. According to professionals in the medical field, a baby’s survival in that kind of weather is nearly impossible.

Smith has been charged with kidnapping and she could possibly spend the rest of her life in prison on a maximum sentence. She was also charged with child endangerment for leaving the baby in the cold weather. This was Smith’s worst criminal charge. She also has criminal records in Texas, Indiana, and Wisconsin.

Kristen Smith appears in court

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