Debra Newton, Who Went by ‘Sharon,’ Arrested After Allegedly Kidnapping Daughter In 1983 Missing Child Case – Blavity
After more than 40 years apart, Michelle “Shelley” Newton has been reunited with her Kentucky family and discovered her true identity, learning that her father never stopped searching for her after her mother abducted her in 1983.
The police and Michelle Newton’s father spent decades searching for her
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office posted missing-person flyers featuring a photo of Newton when she was 3 years old, wearing a sailor’s outfit, smiling and showing the gap between her two front baby teeth. “Michelle was taken by her mother,” it read, according to CNN.
Newton lived for decades believing she was someone else, unaware she had been the subject of a nationwide missing-person search later called off. She is now reconnecting with her family, including her father, Joe, while her mother faces charges related to the abduction.
“She’s always been in my heart,” Joe said in an exclusive interview with WLKY. “I can’t explain that moment of that woman walking in and getting to put my arms back around my daughter.”
The last time WLKY spoke with Joe was in 1986 after spending the previous three years searching for his daughter. She was 3 when he last saw her.
On April 2, 1983, Michelle was taken from Louisville, Kentucky, by her mother, Debra, who claimed she was relocating to Georgia for a new job, Fox 32 Orlando reported. According to WLKY, Joe was planning to move with his family, but Debra and Michelle disappeared.
When was Debra Newton arrested, and what was she charged with?
Per Fox 32, Debra was later indicted on one count of custodial interference and was wanted on an FBI Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution. She was also featured on the FBI’s Top 8 Most Wanted parental-kidnapping fugitives. The case was dismissed in 2000 after police couldn’t reach Michelle’s father, and she was removed from the missing-child database by 2005.
Investigators reexamined the case in 2015 at a family member’s request, and a jury reindicted Debra the following year, per WLKY. A breakthrough in the case happened sometime this year with a Crime Stopper’s tip in Florida. According to the tip, as Fox 32 reported, Debra had remarried and was going by the name Sharon in The Villages, Florida, with her now-remarried husband.
On Nov. 24, she was arrested at her home and charged with custodial interference. According to bodycam footage on WESH 2’s Facebook page, officers arrive at Debra’s driveway, which surprised her. At first, she thought they were there about her dog, but officers assured Debra they were there for her.
An officer told her that she had a warrant for her arrest in connection with a missing child case in Kentucky. After leaving her hometown, Debra changed her name to “Sharon” and has used that name ever since.
“I didn’t do anything,” she said as an officer placed her in handcuffs, per the video footage.
She appeared in court on Monday.
Michelle Newton has reunited with her father and relatives
Chief Deputy Steve Healey spoke about the person who shared the tip leading to Debra’s arrest.
“For an individual to have the courage to come up and say, ‘I saw this. I believe this is who you’re looking for,’ you’re helping a victim and a victim’s family so much,” Healey said, per WLKY.
Officers then arrived at Michelle’s home and shared the news with her, including her true identity. They also told her about the nationwide search and how her father had never stopped searching for her. Their reunion was a special moment after more than four decades apart.
“I wouldn’t trade that moment,” Joe said. “It was just like seeing her when she was first born. It was like an angel.”
Despite it all, Newton said she vows to support her parents and move on toward healing.
“My intention is to support them both through this and trying to navigate and help them both just wrap it up so that we can all heal and hopefully, you know, there’s just apologies and start healing,” she said.
The post Debra Newton, Who Went by ‘Sharon,’ Arrested After Allegedly Kidnapping Daughter In 1983 Missing Child Case appeared first on Blavity.
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