Florida mom charged with kidnapping daughters
The woman charged with kidnapping her two biological daughters from their foster home in central Florida remained in the Lincoln Parish Detention Center on Monday.
Louisiana State Police arrested Dixie Krista Williams, 41, on Friday afternoon after a pursuit along I-20 that ended when her SUV was spiked near the Tarbutton Road overpass. Both children, 5-year-old Tillie Williams, and 18- month- old Natalia Williams, were with her when she was stopped.
Authorities say Williams, who reportedly lives in Hendry County, Florida, will be extradited to Florida, where she faces two counts of kidnapping.
The juveniles were placed in the care of the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services and reportedly returned to Florida over the weekend.
Investigators believe Williams took the sisters from their foster home in Sorrento, Florida, overnight Jan. 24.
Lake County Florida Sheriff ’ s Office spokesman Lt. John Herrell said Monday the sisters had been in custody of Florida’s Department of Children and Families for about 18 months and had lived in their current foster home for just over a year.
“They had last been seen by their foster mother around 11 p.m. (Jan. 24),” Herrell said.
The foster mother reported them missing around 7 a. m. Thursday when she discovered them missing from their bedroom, Harrell said. The foster mother told investigators she believed the girls were taken through the bedroom window.
The Amber Alert was issued Thursday afternoon.
A story posted on West Palm Beach television station WPBF 25 cites information in Florida arrest affidavit saying Williams’ the foster mom had allowed Williams to use her car, but when Williams brought it back, the neighborhood pass to the gated community was gone.
Officials believe that may be how Williams got into the neighborhood.
Herrell said Lake County officials don’t yet know why Williams was traveling along I-20. Apparently, the only state she had mentioned having possible connection to was Maine, he said.
Herrell said police knew the vehicle Williams was reportedly driving because a tipster had come forward saying they had rented a vehicle for Williams. The vehicle had GPS tracking capabilities, he said.
An LSP trooper making a nonrelated traffic stop shortly after noon Friday spotted the rented silver Nissan Rogue traveling westbound near the Ouachita-Lincoln Parish line.
At approximately 12:13 p.m., troopers initiated a traffic stop on the vehicle. The Nissan came to a brief stop on I-20 westbound, just east of La. 145 near Choudrant.
Troopers approached the vehicle and ordered Williams to get out, but she refused, according to her local arrest affidavit.
Police saw the children in the vehicle; neither Williams nor the older child was wearing a seatbelt. The younger child was in a forwardfacing child restraint, the affidavit said.
Williams sped off, and the chase began, by then with LSP, Lincoln Parish sheriff’s deputies and Ruston city police in pursuit as the vehicle entered the Ruston city limits.
The chase reached speeds of 105 mph. At one point, Williams ran off the highway to the left, trying to go around another vehicle.
LSP then deployed spikes. Williams came to a stop about a mile farther down the interstate near the Tarbutton overpass.
Williams was taken into custody without incident.
She had an active warrant from Florida for two counts of kidnapping. Williams was arrested and booked into the LPDC for the kidnapping warrant, resisting an officer, aggravated flight from an officer, operating a vehicle with a suspended license, two counts of no child passenger restraint system, and no seat belt use.
