According to the U.S. Department of Justice, a lady from Murray, Utah, who had previously lost custody of her child, is accused of kidnapping the child from Utah with the assistance of others. She transported the child to live at a religious compound in Missouri.
According to a news statement from the DOJ, Kimberly Dell Davidson-Drolet, 53, of Murray, was accused of kidnapping her “non-custodial child” from Utah and had a warrant issued for her arrest on December 20, 2023.
According to reports, she moved the child to Springfield, Missouri, in January 2023, and they remained there for over a year, until June 2024. Kristine Merrill, 53, of Murray, Utah; Jaxson Davidson, 30, of Washington, Utah; and Dallas Davidson, 23, of Washington, Utah, kept Drolet and the child’s whereabouts hidden from law police throughout the kidnapping, according to officials.
According to the DOJ, Drolet and her son Jaxson departed Utah to fly to Missouri. It is said that Merrill helped them leave. According to police, Drolet started plotting the kidnapping 14 months in advance and used burner phones and lies to avoid detection.
Court records state that Drolet devised a “complex plan” to remove the child from Utah and went to considerable measures to hide her whereabouts and that of the youngster. Drolet allegedly hid the girl from her custodial father and law authorities for more than a year after leaving the state.
According to a DOJ announcement, “before Drolet was arrested, she was seen with the child who was found at a religious compound headed by a religious cult leader, who is also related to Drolet.”
The exact nature and scale of the cult, as well as the relationship between Drolet and the religious cult leader, are unknown.
Drolet, Jaxson, Dallas Davidson, Merrill, and others are accused of abduction and conspiring to kidnap. Aug. 13, 2024, at 1:45 p.m., in courtroom 8.4 of the United States District Courthouse in downtown Salt Lake City, is Drolet’s initial appearance on the indictment.
Merrill, Jaxson, and Dallas Davidson are not planned yet.
Read More: Ex-Teacher Gets 90 Days in Jail, 20 Years Probation for Sexual Assault on Student in Colorado