Missing 2-year-old Pennsylvania girl was sold by father for $10,000, says Uber driver arrested in connection with kidnapping
PENN HILLS, PENNSYLVANIA: An Uber driver arrested in connection with the abduction of a two-year-old baby girl has claimed that the child was sold for $10,000 by her father.
The Alleghany County Police Department were alerted to the disappearance of two-year-old Nalani Johnson after receiving a call at around 5 pm on Saturday, August 31, from the child's biological father, Paul Johnson, according to a press release.
Johnson told deputies that he had been riding in a car with Lyft and Uber stickers with his daughter and a friend and gotten off at the intersection of Bryant Road and Prescott Road in Penn Hills. Before he could take his daughter out of the car seat, the driver sped away, he claimed.
He alleged that he had tried calling the driver's cell multiple times, but that she never picked up, following which he alerted authorities.
An AMBER alert was subsequently issued and at approximately 5.30 pm the same day, the driver, identified as 25-year-old Sharena Nancy, was captured on video at the Sheetz store located at 4701 Penn Highway, Murrysville.
The press release stated that Nancy drove her 2017 black Toyota Yaris, bearing PA license plate KLW3926, to the Blairsville, New Alexandria, and Delmont areas of Westmoreland County during the 5.30 to 7.30 PM time frame.
Police apprehended her during a traffic stop at around 7.30 pm, but did not find the child inside.
When questioned, Nancy reportedly told detectives that Johnson had sold the child to an individual for $10,000 and asked her to complete the drop-off. She said Johnson had shown her a photo of a black woman she was supposed to meet and asked her to drive 20 minutes from a gas station in Monroeville to meet her.
She said she was told that the woman would then "flag" her down, which is when she would have to turn over the toddler. She claimed she encountered a silver SUV with out-of-state plates parked on the side of the road at the location and passed the toddler and the car seat over to a woman standing next to the car before driving off. She also said she saw another woman inside the SUV.
Nancy was arraigned on Monday, September 1, on charges of kidnapping a minor, interference with custody of children, and concealment of whereabouts of a child. She is currently being held at the Alleghany County Jail without bail, and her preliminary hearing has been scheduled for September 16.
Johnson's mother, Taji Walsh, insisted there was no truth to Nancy's story. "If the police felt that PJ was in any way involved, he wouldn't be walking freely, he'd be locked somewhere up like she is," she said.
Alleghany County Police and the FBI are still asking for assistance from the public to further the investigation into Nalani's disappearance.
Members of the public have been asked to be on the lookout for the missing car seat, an Evenflo Maestro Sport Harness Booster Seat, primarily black, with a gray seat area.
Nalani is described as having short curly black hair and brown eyes and was last seen wearing a black shirt and a skirt with a floral pattern and black sandals. She is of average height and weight for a child that age and goes by the nickname "Mooh".
Anyone with information regarding the incident has been advised to call the Allegheny County Police Tipline at 1-833-ALL-TIPS (1-833-255-8477).