Parents in Nassau have been terrorized by a mysterious string of child abductions recently. There were five abductions over four separate incidents that occurred within a three-week period.
The abductions started on February 16th, when a 3-year-old was taken from outside his home and later left outside a Fox Hill washroom. On March 3rd, an 8-year-old girl was taken, only to later be found walking down the road. On March 6th, an 8-year-old boy was taken and later dropped off by the city dump. On March 7th, three boys were taken (two 8-year-olds and 10-year-old) while walking. The two 8-year-olds were later dropped off in a Haitian village near Seabreeze, the ten-year-old was later dropped off at the city dump. On March 29th, an 8-year-old boy was lured from his home on Fox Hill Road and was later dropped off near the New Providence Landfill. The women also tried to lure a second boy at this time.
There was also a fifth attempted kidnapping incident of an 11-year old boy, who managed to get away. When walking home from school, the boy was approached by a woman in a silver car who reportedly asked him if he wanted a pair of sunglasses. The boy’s mother reported this to the police, and it’s unknown if this helped lead to any charges.
Families can now rest easy though, as the Bahamian police announced they had caught the person responsible. Police have officially charged two Bahamian women with kidnapping charges.
De’Edra Michelle Gibson aged 29 was formally charged, along with another 35-year-old woman from Eleuthera whose name has not been released but she is believed to have acted as an accomplice for Gibson during the abductions. At this time the police are not looking for any more suspects.
Gibson confessed to the crimes during interrogation by Bahamian police. However, she still did not give a motive for her actions. The public is still left puzzled by the kidnappings. The children were taken only to later be left in obscure places around the island of New Providence.
When questioned about the motive, Chief Superintendence Solomon Cash stated, “These persons or these kids were just left unattended to and the suspect, based on our information, just took them away from their place of comfort, with no intent of harming them.”
Police initially reported that they had no records of mental health issues in the women, but during court, it was revealed that Gibson did have a history of mental health issues. She had previously spent time in a mental health facility, which meant she was not required to submit a plea to the charges brought before her. Gibson was remanded to the Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre, where she will undergo a psychiatric evaluation.
These charges end a terrifying reign in the Bahamas. The Minister for National Security, Marvin Dames, applauded the Royal Bahamas Police Force in the capture of the suspects. “It’s a job well done. I have the utmost confidence in the commissioner of police and his team.”