An Arkansas woman, Tamara “Tammi” Hamby, 59, is facing charges for allegedly orchestrating a fake kidnapping of her mentally disabled daughter in an attempt to deter her from interacting with strangers online. Hamby surrendered herself to the police on Wednesday and was subsequently released from Crawford County jail. She, along with three other individuals, was charged with endangering an incompetent person. Additionally, Hamby is facing charges of conspiracy to commit kidnapping.
The arrest warrant, as reported by local CBS affiliate KFSM, suggests that Hamby planned the faux abduction to teach her 22-year-old daughter about the potential dangers of online interactions with strangers. Jeffrey Hamby, Tammi’s husband and the father of the young woman, revealed to the station that their daughter had been in communication with an online scammer for several months. The daughter was under the impression that she was communicating with country singer Luke Bryan.
The arrest warrant further alleges that Hamby enlisted Shannon Childers, a certified nurse assistant who lived with the family and cared for their daughter, to help execute the plan. Childers then allegedly involved two of her friends, David Quach and Nico Austria, in the scheme. The plan, as outlined by the police, was to have the daughter kidnapped, tied to a tree in a nearby field, and then rescued by her mother.
The alleged plot was executed on November 17, when Quach and Austria arrived at the Hamby residence wearing ski masks. They convinced the daughter that they were sent by Luke Bryan, and she willingly followed them into their car with her guitar and teddy bear. The affidavit states that Austria mistakenly drove to the wrong field, but they proceeded with the plan to tie the young woman to a tree and threaten her. The daughter managed to escape twice, and after the second escape, she ran to a nearby house and called 911.
A deputy from the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office who interviewed the daughter reported that she was terrified and clung to her teddy bear throughout the interview. Hamby, Childers, Quach, and Austria were all arrested and booked into jail. Hamby’s bond was set at $125,000, which she posted, while the other three defendants’ bonds were set at $25,000 each.
Jeffrey Hamby was not charged and claimed he was unaware of the alleged plot. The couple’s daughter was taken into custody by the Arkansas Department of Human Services following an emergency petition. Tammi Hamby is scheduled to appear in court again on December 10.