An Arkansas mother has been arrested after allegedly staging a fake kidnapping of her disabled daughter to scare her away from an online predator. Tammi Hamby, 59, a former library board member from Van Buren, was charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping and endangering the welfare of an incompetent person.
According to arrest affidavits, Hamby recruited three friends to help carry out the ruse. The victim, a 22-year-old woman with developmental delays, was found tied to a tree in a field on November 17, with zip-ties on her wrists and marks visible. She was clutching a teddy bear and reportedly in fear for her life.
The woman's father, Dr. Jeffrey Hamby, said the family had become desperate after discovering their daughter had been messaging and sending money to someone claiming to be country star Luke Bryan. He described his daughter as having the mentality of an 11-year-old and said the family had exhausted all other avenues for help.
Dr. Hamby claimed he did not know about the kidnapping plan beforehand but defended the intent. He said the goal was to teach his daughter about real danger. However, Crawford County Chief Deputy Brad Wiley questioned the logic, stating that teaching through trauma was not a valid approach.
The three accomplices, Shannon Childers, David Quach, and Nico Austria, were also arrested. The young woman has been placed in state protective custody. Hamby's bail was set at $125,000, while the others received $25,000 bonds. She has since resigned from the Crawford County Library Board.
