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Woman accused of kidnapping baby previously offered migrant mother ride to bus station


Booking photo for{ }Jenna Roark Credit: El Paso County Sheriff's Office
Booking photo for Jenna Roark Credit: El Paso County Sheriff's Office
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The El Paso woman accused of kidnapping a baby allegedly offered the baby's mother, who was a migrant, a ride to the bus station before taking the baby, the federal complaint states.

The FBI was notified by the St. Petersburg Police Department on Sept. 26 that the Honduran migrant was separated from her son and was being extorted for money in exchange. At the time the report was made the migrant was in Florida.

The victim told authorities that she crossed the US/Mexico border with her son in May.

The migrant approached a man and a woman in an El Paso apartment complex and asked for directions to the nearest bus Grey Hound station.

The man and woman, who was identified as 45-year-old Jenna Leigh Roark, offered the migrant a ride, the affidavit states.

While en route to the bus station, Roark told the migrant woman she was going to keep her son, the document states.

The migrant and Roark exchanged phone numbers and Roark told the migrant they would be in contact.

RELATED:Woman accused of kidnapping baby from migrant in Florida involved her own daughter

Roark would periodically send the migrant pictures and videos of the baby and the migrant and son would speak on the phone two to three times a week.

The migrant was told by Roark that she had to pay $8,000 in exchange for her son. The price later changed to $5,800 the document states.

Roark was arrested on Sept. 16 by Texas DPS for smuggling persons.

Prior to her arrest, she stopped at a Motel 6 in El Paso to pick up three undocumented people.

When Roark was pulled over, her teen daughter who was in the passenger seat was holding a baby. The undocumented people were also in the vehicle.

Roark told troopers the baby belonged to her other daughter who was not with them.

Roark told DPS the baby's name was Aiden Smith and that the baby's birth date was 5/19/2021. Roark claimed the baby's birth certificate was at her home in Mexico.

When her other daughter arrived in El Paso from Albuquerque she told authorities that the baby's birth date was 5/19/2020 and told them she was not the biological mother but rather her fiance was the biological mother.

Due to the conflicting stories and not being able to identify the child, Child Protective Services were called and took possession of the baby and has since been in their custody.

RELATED: Migrant baby allegedly held for ransom found in El Paso during traffic stop

The El Paso FBI was made aware by authorities in Florida that the migrant's baby was being held for ransom on Sept. 26.

Florida authorities provided the FBI of El Paso with the phone number the migrant and Roark were communicating.

The FBI traced the phone number to Roark.

Texas DPS told the FBI Roark had been arrested by their agency for smuggling people and stated the baby was in CPS custody.

Photos of the baby were provided to the migrant who confirmed the baby was her son.

When Roark was interviewed by DPS, she said that her husband was in trouble with the mafia in Cd. Juarez known as "La Empresa."

Roark stated that the baby, who she initially said was her daughter's child, was sent to her by a man in Mexico.

The man in Mexico only known as "Richard" kept the baby and sent the migrant and her two other children across the border, the document states.

The baby “was eventually brought to the United States by an unknown woman and Roark was supposed to care for the child until payment by migrant was made,” the complaint states.

Although the child’s alleged ransom was set at $5,800, Roark said she told the migrant that she in fact owed a total of $10,000.

Roark told authorities that she was instructed that she could not take anyone's word but "Richard's" that payment for the child was made, and once the payment was made the baby could be released.

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