LIVONIA (WWJ) – Three Detroiters have been charged in their roles in the kidnapping of infant twins earlier this week in Livonia.
Curtis Lee Slay, 18, Davion Demetrius Sherman Chandler, 19, and Shantell Re-Azia Jones, 23 were arraigned Thursday afternoon on eight charges each, stemming from the disappearance of 2-week-old twin boys.
A fourth person, a 16-year-old juvenile that has yet to be identified, may also face charges next week. Prosecutors are currently reviewing their role in the case.
Montana and Matthew Bridges were kidnapped Sunday night from the Quality Inn on Plymouth Road in Livonia. An Amber Alert was issued Monday morning and was canceled when the boys were dropped off at Detroit’s 9th Precinct before noon.
The twins and their parents had been staying at the hotel. The father reportedly told the media this week they were at the hotel because someone had previously tried to break into their home.
The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office alleges the suspects kidnapped the twins when their mother “left the room briefly.” It was not immediately clear why she left the room.
Authorities allege Jones had befriended the babies’ mother, “all the while intending to steal them from their mother.” Slay and Sherman Chandler allegedly aided her in the kidnapping efforts.
An exact motive in the case remains unclear.
All three suspects have been charged with two counts of kidnapping - child enticement, two counts of unlawful imprisonment, one count of conspiracy to commit kidnapping - child enticement and three counts of larceny in a building.
It was not clear if the fourth suspect would be charged with the same counts.
“It is hard to imagine a worse scenario for a new mother. The evidence in this case will show that these defendants engaged in a scheme to dupe the mother of these barely two-week-old babies,” Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said, per a press release.
While exact details remain unclear, Worthy says the suspects allegedly promised the mother “some much-needed assistance” in order to gain access to the twins “with the express intent on stealing them.”
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