The Washington state babysitter who failed to watch three siblings as the youngest — a 22-month-old boy — was snatched from his stroller in an attempted abduction blamed herself in an emotional interview Wednesday.
"Of course I do, I have no choice," Bobbi Doughty, choking back tears, told NBC affiliate KHQ in Spokane. "This is my fault, I take full blame for this."
Doughty had allowed the children to play alone in a park Sunday in the small city of Sprague, where she lives. She said she felt safe enough to leave the baby, his 10-year-old brother and 8-year-old sister unsupervised. "They have always gone to the park," she told the station. "There have never been any stranger danger around. I have always instilled that into their minds. So have their parents."
But that normal routine was rattled when Lincoln County authorities say a 15-year-old suspect grabbed the boy and ran off. Surveillance video from a business caught the frightening moment on camera, including the older siblings giving chase to the suspect and screaming before he freed the boy and fled. The unidentified suspect was arrested Wednesday and is being held in a juvenile facility, the sheriff's office said.
The siblings' parents, Michael and Nicole Wright, said they don't blame Doughty and are just relieved the alleged abductor has been caught. "We're going to stay a strong family, be even closer and watch each other even more diligently than before," Michael Wright told KHQ. "This whole traumatic experience has actually brought us closer together."
IN-DEPTH
- Arrest Made in Washington State Attempted Baby Abduction
- Lincoln County Looking for Man Caught on Video After Snatching 22-Month-Old Boy