Mother Of Child Taken In Stolen Vehicle Speaks Out

The mother of a toddler taken in a stolen vehicle and left in the pouring rain says she was filled with panic for four hours while her child was missing.

Marianne Hendricks, 22, from Patrick has been charged with Kidnapping and Grand Larceny. Authorities say Hendricks claimed she didn’t know the baby was in the car. Deputies say she stole the vehicle after getting into an argument with a friend.

The missing one year old boy was found in the front yard of a home in the Cowpens area. Michael Wilkins found the toddler wandering outside of his home. He says his dog woke him up around 3:30 in the morning. “He was standing in the pouring rain. He had no shoes on,” Wilkins said.

Investigators found the missing SUV about a mile from the child. They also located Hendricks in a home only a few yards from the vehicle.

The car was stolen from 143 Sherman Drive in Spartanburg County with the child in the back of the vehicle. Stacey Rice says she was visiting a friend and ran into the house, leaving the keys in the vehicle. She tells us she was inside her friend’s house for less than two minutes when the vehicle was stolen. Rice says her son was asleep in a carseat directly behind the driver’s seat and she believes the thief did not know the baby was back there.

Rice says she is thankful her child was not harmed, and even more grateful to the man who found him and kept him safe.