State steals kidnapped baby and siblings?

By Gideon Swift | Published: October 4, 2009

A mother whose newborn was kidnapped by a knife-wielding woman posing as an immigration agent was briefly reunited with her baby Saturday, then saw him and her three other children taken from her and put into state custody.

Rob Johnson, a spokesman for the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, said the children were taken from their mother, Maria Gurrolla, “purely for safety reasons,” though he would not detail why the state deemed they were in danger.

“Our focus is on the children, and under the current situation right now, we think the safest thing to do is take the children into state custody,” he said.

Gurrolla, 30, was stabbed in her home Tuesday, just four days after giving birth to Yair Anthony Carillo, who was snatched by the attacker.

Nashville police said the baby was found in good health Friday night at a home in Ardmore, Ala., about 80 miles south of Nashville near the Tennessee line.
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Earlier Saturday, officials said the newborn would stay with a foster family as authorities arranged for Gurrolla to be reunited with her son.

Johnson said officials made arrangements for Gurrolla to see her baby Saturday afternoon and hold him, and she brought her three other children — ages 3, 9 and 11 — with her. All four children were then taken into custody. Johnson, who said he could not discuss details of the situation for privacy reasons, said a judge would review the case next week to determine when the children can go home.

Joel Siskovic, an FBI special agent in the Memphis division, said he could not say why the children were put into state custody. “As of now, there’s no indication that there’s an ongoing threat to the family,” he said.