Mother Allegedly Staged Kidnapping of Disabled Daughter

An Arkansas mother is accused of planning a fake kidnapping of her intellectually disabled daughter to discourage her from communicating online with a stranger impersonating country singer Luke Bryan, according to authorities and local reports.

Tamara “Tammy” Hamby, a former member of the Crawford County Library Board, surrendered to police on Wednesday after allegedly enlisting three people to assist in the staged abduction of her 22-year-old daughter.

On November 17, law enforcement responded to reports of a possible kidnapping involving Hamby’s daughter, who has both intellectual and physical disabilities, as indicated by arrest warrants and court documents.

According to reports, Hamby allegedly initiated the plan to teach her daughter a lesson about the dangers of talking to strangers online, particularly someone claiming to be Luke Bryan.

Shannon Yazmin Yvonne Childers, a caregiver for Hamby’s daughter, was made aware of the fake kidnapping by Hamby, as described in the arrest warrant.

Hamby supposedly coordinated for someone to contact her daughter while pretending to be related to Luke Bryan, arranging a meeting.

During the encounter, the individual took Hamby’s daughter to a field, demanded money, and restrained her to a tree, as noted in the warrant. Hamby then allegedly arrived at the scene, intending to “rescue” her daughter from the setup.

Childers reportedly recruited two associates, David Q. Quack and Nico Austria, to help with the scheme. They showed up at Hamby’s home in ski masks and forcibly took her daughter.

According to the warrant, Austria made a wrong turn and ended up in an unintended location, where he restrained Hamby’s daughter with zip ties. As she managed to break free and attempted to flee, Austria and Quack tackled her again, re-securing her to the tree, all while Hamby watched.

Eventually, her daughter managed to escape and call 911. A Crawford County Sheriff’s Office deputy later recounted that the daughter expressed fear for her life, holding onto her teddy bear during the interview.

Following these events, Hamby resigned from her position on the library committee, intending to move outside the district.

Hamby’s husband, Jeffrey, stated he believed his wife’s actions were well-intentioned, expressing concern for their daughter’s online safety. He mentioned that a predator had formed a bond with their daughter, who had a fondness for the singer.

“Over the last six months, he developed a traumatic bond. It became clear that he was either trying to get her or had some hold over her,” Jeffrey noted.

Despite their efforts to intervene, she continued to communicate with the impersonator, whose identity was traced back to Nigeria by the Arkansas State Police.

Jeffrey admitted that while the attempt was misguided, it had been premeditated, with a practice run meant to ensure safety. Unfortunately, during her struggle to escape, the zip ties became dangerously tight, causing her injury.

Hamby faces numerous charges, including kidnapping, false imprisonment, abuse, assault, and making terroristic threats, as per court records.

Meanwhile, Childers, Quack, and Austria were also arrested in connection to the incident. All four individuals are currently out of custody, with Hamby scheduled to make a court appearance on Wednesday.