Mother Accused of Kidnapping 4-Year-Old, Hiding Child in ‘Religious Compound’ Run by Alleged Cult Leader Prosecutors
Federal authorities say a woman from Utah and her son were arrested on charges they took her 4-year-old daughter. A year after going missing, the girl was found on a religious compound.
As of last week, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Utah said that Kimberly Dell Davidson-Drolet, 53, was charged with kidnapping and conspiracy for reportedly taking her daughter, crossing state lines, and hiding her for almost 18 months.
The kid was not named in the statement, but the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children has known him or her to be Gracyn Drolet.
According to federal prosecutors, Davidson-Drolet took her “non-custodial child” from Utah to Springfield, Missouri, in January 2023. She is said to have kept Gracyn on a “religious compound” until July 2024. She was with her son Jaxson Davidson, 30, and other people.
Prosecutors say that Davidson-Drolet was given an arrest warrant in December.
According to a statement made by prosecutors on Friday, August 9, “before Drolet’s arrest, she was seen with the child who was found at a religious compound led by a religious cult leader who is also related to Drolet.”
Along with Davidson, authorities say that Dallas Davidson, 23, and Kristine Merrill, 53, also helped the mother. All four are being held. The sister of Davidson-Drolet is one of the suspects, the cops said.
Officials in Utah say Davidson-Drolet came up with “an elaborate plan” to take Gracyn out of Utah and hide her from her father who has custody of her and the police.
Prosecutors say she planned the theft for fourteen months. It is said that Davidson-Drolet hid her daughter with the help of things like fake phones and mail services.
Davidson-Drolet reportedly helped Merrill, Dallas, and Jaxson hide their location from police, according to prosecutors.
Utah police say all four suspects have been charged with kidnapping and planning to kidnap someone.
Information about the suspects’ plea deals and lawyers was not available right away.
You can go to www.childhelp.org or call 1-800-4-A-CHILD, which is the National Child Abuse Hotline if you think a child is being abused. No one will be able to hear your calls for any reason. 24/7, the number can be called in more than 170 languages.