GARY, Ind., April 19 (UPI) -- A mother who was lured away from her Indiana home by a woman claiming to be a child welfare worker has turned up dead, her body wrapped in plastic and covered with bleach, investigators said.
Samantha Fleming and her newborn child disappeared April 5 after a woman came to her home, claimed to be a welfare worker, and persuaded her to leave. Fleming's boyfriend, who witnessed the visit, said the purported welfare official claimed his girlfriend had to attend a court hearing, NBC Chicago reported.
When Fleming, 23, did not return home, the boyfriend contacted police. After nearly two weeks of looking for the woman, Indiana police found her dead at a home in Gary, Ind.,on Friday. The 3-week-old infant was also found at the home, unharmed.
According to investigators, a woman was present at the home and claimed the baby belonged to her sister -- who was not present because she was visiting her mother in Texas. Authorities have located the 36-year-old woman in Texas and believe she may have been Fleming's killer.
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An autopsy determined that Fleming was stabbed to death. Her body was then wrapped in plastic, doused with bleach, and placed in a storage bin at the Chicago area residence, officials said. The baby girl has been returned to relatives in Indianapolis.
Investigators don't believe the woman really is a child welfare worker, as official records show no visit scheduled for Fleming's home and no court hearing. Police aren't yet sure how she knew so much about Fleming and her child.
The suspect's sister just happened to be at the Gary home when police arrived there, because she was collecting items to take care of the baby, NBC Chicago's report said.
Authorities believe Fleming was abducted and killed because the assailant wanted her baby. The unnamed suspect's relatives reportedly said the woman claimed she was pregnant, but they became suspicious after noting inconsistencies in her story. She also reportedly told them not to visit her in the hospital.
A neighbor told CBS Chicago that he didn't doubt the woman's story because she actually appeared to be pregnant.
"She was big. She walked with a wobble, so yeah, she was big," he said.
Police were able to track the woman to Texas using data contained within Fleming's cellphone, officials said. It isn't yet clear if authorities plan to charge her or bring her back. Police said she is currently receiving treatment for depression there.
Fleming's death comes just a few weeks after a similar incident in Colorado, where a woman was lured to a home by someone who had posted a Craigslist ad for baby clothes. Inside the home, police say, the mother was stabbed and her 7-month-old fetus was cut from her womb. The baby died a short time later.
