A woman is in custody after police say she abducted her 3-month-old son.
Police say 38-year-old Chantice Witherspoon was visiting her son at the Camden County Library in Voorhees Monday morning while under the supervision of an NJ Department of Child Protection & Permanency case worker. According to investigators, Witherspoon does not have custodial rights over her son.
Police say Witherspoon left the building with her son and went into a cab, leaving the area, without the case worker noticing.
Employees with the NJ DCP&P searched the area and then contacted Voorhees Police. Police contacted the cab company who claimed the driver dropped Witherspoon and her son off at the Haddonfield PATCO Station.
PATCO and Haddonfield Police then reviewed video footage and determined that Witherspoon and the child left the area on an NJ Transit bus, according to investigators. Police say NJ Transit employee Charles Ladzenski called every bus driver with routes that may have come in contact with Witherspoon and her son.
Finally, police say, through the work of all agencies involved, Witherspoon and her son were eventually found at the bus stop of the Moorestown Mall. Witherspoon was sent to JFK Crisis for evaluation and then charged with endangering the welfare of children and interference with custody. Her bail will be set at $75,000.
The baby boy is back in custody of the state.
Voorhees Police commended Ladzenski with his persistence in helping them find Witherspoon. Ladzenski responded by saying, “I just wanted to know that child was safe.”