A Kansas woman strangled an eight-month-pregnant woman and kidnapped the premature infant from her womb.
The abductor, Lori M. Montgomery, met the mother, 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett, in an online chat room for breeders of rat terrier dogs.
Posing as “Darlene Fischer,” Montgomery told Stinnett that she, too, was pregnant. The two women exchanged e-mails about their pregnancies. Montgomery then arranged a meeting at Stinnett’s home under the pretext of wanting to buy a dog. Montgomery strangled Stinnett, cut the premature infant from her womb and fled.
Montgomery, 36, then took the child to a hospital claiming it as her own. She was quickly arrested after authorities issued an Amber Alert for the baby.
Authorities said Montgomery’s motivation stemmed from a miscarriage she might have suffered and subsequently concealed from her family.
In October 2007, Montgomery was sentenced to death. The infant, Victoria Jo Stinnett, was reunited with her family.
