Woman charged with kidnapping Utah child, hiding at religious compound for over a year [Video]

SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — A Murray, Utah, woman who had previously lost custody of her child is charged after allegedly kidnapping the child from Utah with the help of others and taking the child to live at a religious compound in Missouri, according to the U.S. Dept. of Justice.

Kimberly Dell Davidson-Drolet, 53, of Murray, had a warrant issued for her arrest on Dec. 20, 2023, after allegedly kidnapping her “non-custodial child” from Utah, according to a press release from the DOJ.

She reportedly took the child to Springfield, Missouri, in Jan. 2023, where they stayed for more than a year, through June 2024. Throughout the kidnapping, Kristine Merrill, 53, of Murray, Utah; Jaxson Davidson, 30, of Washington, Utah; and Dallas Davidson, 23, of Washington, Utah; continued to hide Drolet and the child’s location from law enforcement, officials said.

Drolet left Utah to travel to Missouri, as did her son Jaxson, according to the DOJ. …