Charges Issued Against Two Women In Child Abduction Hoax Case

ST. LOUIS COUNTY - The St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged two Affton women after authorities said they fabricated a report that a child was abducted in a stolen vehicle, prompting an Amber Alert and a large-scale search.

Ashley Collins, 29, and Kayla Williams, 31, both of the 8900 block of New Hampshire Avenue in Affton, were charged Tuesday, March 31, 2026, in St. Louis County, Mo. Collins is charged with misusing 911 and making a false report. Williams is charged with making a false report. Both are being held on $10,000 cash-only bonds with no 10% option, according to the prosecutor’s office.

Authorities said the case began on March 30, 2026, when Collins called 911 in St. Louis County and reported her car had been stolen with a child inside. Collins told dispatchers the vehicle was a 2020 Jeep Renegade and described the child as a 5-year-old girl wearing blue jeans and a “flower power shirt,” according to the probable cause statement.

An Amber Alert was issued, and “significant police resources were spent on finding the stolen vehicle and missing child,” the statement said.

Police later interviewed Collins, who told investigators she was a temporary guardian of the child and that she, Williams and the child lived together, the statement said. Collins said she placed the child in the back seat and went back into her apartment for a short time, and that Williams then went outside and found Collins’ car and the child were gone.

Instead of calling 911, Collins drove Williams to work using Williams’ car, then called her bank to see if it could locate the vehicle using GPS because the bank was financing it, the statement said. Collins eventually called 911.

Williams told police the child had been living at the apartment for a couple of weeks and that she realized in the parking lot that Collins’ car and the child were missing, according to the statement.

Police located the stolen vehicle about a mile from the apartment, the statement said. Authorities conducted what the statement described as an extensive search for the child using helicopter surveillance, drone surveillance and K-9 search teams.

About five hours after the initial 911 call, Collins and Williams confessed “that the car had been stolen but they fabricated that there was a missing child,” the statement said.

“Both defendants are a danger to the community based on the above facts,” the statement said, adding that the report led “the entire St. Louis area” to look for the vehicle and child and “could have led to a violent confrontation.”

St. Louis County Police Department Bureau of Crimes Against Persons detectives are handling the investigation, according to the prosecutor’s office.

The prosecutor’s office noted that charges are accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

More like this:

Amber Alert: St. Louis Police Search For Missing Child Taken In Stolen Car

Mar 30, 2026

Bi-State Crime Spree Leads to Armed Robbery Arrest and Multiple Criminal Charges

2 days ago

19-Year-Old Suspect Charged In Lionel Steed Fatal Shooting Case

Apr 14, 2026

Two Charged In Firearm Sale Resulting In Armed Robbery

2 days ago

Illinois State Police Combats Vehicle Hijacking And Theft

Apr 14, 2026