The story of a kidnapping at O’Hare International Airport in Chicago, has many different layers that are slowly coming to the surface. According to police, on Tuesday afternoon, a 2-year-old boy was snatched at the busy airport by a woman named Olachi Etoh who is 24.
More details regarding an attempted kidnapping at O’Hare are coming to light. The incident that took place around 4:45 PM, only lasted few minutes, since the child’s mother was able to get him back.
Police claim that Etoh took the kid while he was standing in the baggage area with his mom. The 24-year-old woman then tried to go down an escalator with the child, but thanks to the mother’s quick thinking, she managed to take him back very quickly.
Etoh was charged with aggravated kidnapping and misdemeanor battery on Wednesday. Her bail is set at $450,000.
Carla Gonzalez, the boy’s mother stated that she was at the airport with her two children when it all unfolded. Etoh initially approached the family and started playing with the boy, who she found to be very cute. The mother said after Etoh playfully lifted the child, she ran towards an escalator. Gonzalez said that witnesses failed to intervene as she was trying to get her boy back.
The alleged kidnapping at O’Hare airport got a new twist on Thursday, when it was revealed that Olachi Etoh is suffering from mental illness. Her parents Bridget and John Etoh spoke with the media to say that she does not belong in jail. They believed that their daughter needs medical attention not incarceration.
According to the Chicago Tribune, Bridget Etoh said:
“She’s not a criminal. She’s had mental issues since 2008, and has been off her medications recently. She’s never even gotten a speeding ticket.”
The parents say that their daughter recently lost her job, something that may have played a role in her breakdown.
The attempted kidnapping at O’Hare links a mother who fought hard to get her 2-year-old son back and two broken parents trying their best to save their mentally ill daughter.
