JARRETT GOODMAN
Staff Writer
Two children who were recently reported missing in Whitwell were found safe and returned after swift efforts by all involved in the case were made to find them.
The Whitwell Police Department responded to a call regarding a missing child on Thursday, June 19, where one of the children’s mother reported to police of not hearing from her child since Tuesday of the same week. She explained to authorities how she dropped off her child to her friend, Frankie Kay Robinson’s home, with Robinson tasked with babysitting the mother’s child. However, since last hearing from both Robinson and her child, the victim made numerous calls afterwards to no avail. It was a trait the victim described as uncharacteristic of Robinson to do, leaving her to reach out to authorities to help find her missing child.
Police have advised the victim on continuing to reach out to Robinson whilst they conduct their investigation on the case. After more failed attempts to hear back from Robinson or her child, as well as from another child who Robinson had full custody of, police immediately collected all vital information pertaining to the case. All information collected was transferred over to Marion County Dispatch, who after consulting with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) and upon further investigation, authorities discovered how Robinson has been convicted of different child endangerment and abuse charges in the past, with her cell phone quickly being traced all the way to Tallulah, Louisiana. After further searching and investigative work, Robinson eventually contacted authorities and notified how both children were safe. However, Robinson never requested proper consent or permission to the victim’s mother about leaving out of state with the mother’s child.
Robinson was ultimately taken into custody and charged for kidnapping and was transported to the Marion County Jail without incident. The first child was safely escorted back home, while the other child under Robinson’s care was placed under custody of Child Protection Services. The Whitwell Police Department in a post on Facebook explaining the case expressed their thanks to TBI, as well as the 12th Judicial District’s Attorney’s Office, the Tallulah Police Department, the License Plate Reader (LPR) system and Marion County Dispatch for their involvement and hard work into ensuring the safety of all individuals within the case. Further information on the case has since not been provided to the general public.
Photos from Whitwell Police Department, TN Facebook Page
