Woman is accused of trying to steal baby

A woman who ran for mayor in Colorado Springs in 2019 was arrested in Washington state Friday after deputies suspect she drugged another woman in an attempt to steal her infant, according to a statement from the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department.

Juliette Parker, 38, and her 16-year-old daughter were both arrested at their home in Spanaway, Wash., after what the sheriff’s office said was an “extensive investigations” into reports that Parker posed as newborn photographer to gain access to another woman’s home, then drugged the woman with a tainted cupcake.

Parker won more than 11,000 votes in the Colorado Springs mayoral race but lost to incumbent Mayor John Suthers, who won nearly 70,000 votes.

Investigators believe

Parker advertised free newborn photos on Facebook, saying she would take the photos for free because she needed to build her portfolio, according to the sheriff’s department. Parker connected with the new mother through Facebook and visited the new mother three times to take photos of the woman’s infant, according to the statement.

On the third visit on Feb. 5, Parker brought her teenage daughter along, and the teenager gave the mother a cupcake, according to the sheriff’s department. The mother ate the cupcake and then immediately felt numb, drowsy, unstable on her feet and nauseous. The mother, who has not been identified, kicked Parker and her daughter out of her house and called 911.

The woman, who was treated at a hospital, told investigators she suspected Parker had drugged her, and said she’d seen Parker taking selfies on her cellphone with the mother’s baby. She said she saw Parker apparently wiping her fingerprints off of objects she touched in the mother’s home.

Police identified several other possible victims during a subsequent investigation, according to the sheriff’s department statement, using interviews and search warrants.

“This detailed investigation identified additional victims and garnered evidence that indicate that the suspect was planning to steal a newborn baby to raise as her own,” the statement said.

Both Parker and her daughter face multiple felony charges, according to the sheriff’s office. Investigators said Parker used several names, including “Juliette Noel” and “Juliette Gains,” and asked Friday that anyone who believes they were targeted by Parker call the sheriff’s office at 253-798-7724.