Teen who faked her pregnancy arrested in kidnapping case

Sunday, April 02, 2006

(4/02/06 - KTRK/HOUSTON) (KTRK) -- Police say a teen faked a pregnancy, then abducted a baby boy. Now she's facing kidnapping charges.

A mother who is a Hurricane Katrina evacuee let an apparently pregnant acquaintance from New Orleans spend the night at her apartment because she claimed to be tired. When the mother woke up Friday morning, the suspect and her five-month-old son, Ashton Carter, were both missing. A window had been broken. She called police for help.

Investigators following up on leads found the suspect, Jennifer Ruiz, 17, and the kidnapped infant at an apartment she shared with her boyfriend and his parents. Ruiz was taken into custody and baby Ashton was returned to his mother in good condition. Kidnapping charges are pending against Ruiz.

Ruiz, who came to Houston in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, had claimed to her family and boyfriend to be pregnant and in fact, wore balloons under her clothing to simulate a pregnancy. When Ruiz was arrested, a balloon hidden under her shirt floated to the ground.

The suspect's boyfriend's family was not aware of the kidnapping and assumed that the child was Ruiz's. They have been cooperating with the investigation.

This is the second traumatic event for the Carter family in recent months. On February 17, Ashton's twin brother died at home, apparently from SIDS.
(Copyright © 2006, KTRK-TV)

Get more News »