Cherie Amoore, 32, charged with kidnapping baby from mall
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa. -- Authorities have identified and charged the woman accused of abducting a 7-week-old baby from the King of Prussia Mall on Thursday night.
Cherie Amoore has been charged with Kidnapping of a Minor, Unlawful Restraint, False Imprisonment, Interference with the Custody of a Child, Concealment of the Whereabouts of a Child, and other related charges. She will be arraigned on Friday afternoon.
She is the daughter of Renee Amoore, who is both the deputy chairman of the Republican Party of Pennsylvania and a panelist on sister station WPVI-TV's "Inside Story."
The baby, Ahsir Simmons, was found safe a few hours after the abduction.
Investigators say Amoore had allegedly claimed to be pregnant in the months before the kidnapping.
Investigators say that, after the kidnapping, Amoore took little Ahsir to show him to relatives. Source say she told family and friends she was pregnant and had recently given birth, but the baby had been in the hospital.
PHOTOS: FAMILY REUNITED WITH KIDNAPPED BABY
However, once news of the abduction emerged and surveillance video of the abductor was released, police say family members recognized her and notified police.
Meanwhile, police reviewed video showing Amoore talking to another woman shortly before the abduction. That woman helped police identify the suspect.
Those tips brought police to a home above a barber shop in Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, where Ahsir was found safe and Amoore was taken into custody.
Baby Ahsir was reunited with his family at the Upper Merion police station.
His mother, Malika Turner, said, "I would like to thank God for allowing my baby to come back. And, I want to thank the Upper Merion Police Department, and everybody on social media that helped me get my baby back. I want to thank you so much."
The baby's grandfather, Burdette Lewis, was also grateful. He was asked what he would say to the alleged abductor. He said, "You have a problem. Lady may have a mental problem. She might have had a child, and lost her child. It is something wrong."
The abduction was reported at 5:35 p.m. Thursday.
Police say the suspect befriended the family of the boy, and spent about 30 minutes with them in the mall's food court.
When the baby became fussy, police say the mother let the suspect hold him while she took a phone call and dealt with other children in her care.
Police say Amoore then walked away with the baby and left the mall.
Police searched cars at the mall.
An Amber Alert was issued around 9:30 p.m., shortly after a press conference was held in the mall's parking lot. News that the baby was found came about an hour later.
Shoppers were in disbelief that something like this could happen with all the police presence and surveillance cameras at the mall.
"It's unbelievable. That's crazy," Sara Elhollal of King of Prussia. "I feel so bad for the mother."
And yet there were others who were completely oblivious to what was happening.
"They didn't make an announcement. They didn't do anything, they didn't say anything," said Camrah Carter of Camden, New Jersey.
"How am I supposed to know that's going on if nobody says anything?" said Amina Sabre of Camden, New Jersey.
On Friday, King of Prussia Mall issued the following statement on their Facebook page:
"Everyone here at the King of Prussia Mall is heartened and relieved by the safe return of baby Ahsir Simmons to his parents and family. We must thank all of the many members of law enforcement who acted with swift and expert diligence in finding the baby. Our special thanks to chief, Thomas Nolan and the police officers of Upper Merion Township, the FBI and Montgomery County Detectives, all of the police from throughout our surrounding counties of Chester, Montgomery and Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania State Troopers. The King of Prussia Mall is a safe and family friendly environment and we maintain state-of the-art security protocols. The safety of our customers is of utmost priority and we are happy to help reunite Ahsir with his family."
