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Arrest Made in Aggravated Kidnapping of Child on Garden Oaks Drive

by Aaron E. Looney

August 21, 2017

Categories: On Duty

Topics: Fourth District, Good Police Work, Missing Person/Runaway

Arrest Made in Aggravated Kidnapping of Child on Garden Oaks Drive

The NOPD on Monday, Aug. 21, 2017 arrested Feliciana Winniford (DOB: 02-08-1987) in connection with an aggravated kidnapping of a 22-month-old child that occurred on August 20, 2017 in the 3300 block of Garden Oaks Drive.

The mother of the child had told police that at about 6:30 p.m, she had dropped her child off with her friend at an apartment complex in the area. Shortly thereafter, the friend called the mother to tell her that the child was missing after last being seen in a rear courtyard of the apartment complex playing with other children. The mother returned to the apartment complex and a search for the child ensued, to no avail.

Video surveillance taken at about 7:50 p.m. showed a black female picking the child up and walking from the apartment complex toward General DeGaulle Drive.

While investigators were on the scene of the incident, a known source alerted the family to where the victim was located. Detectives relocated to an apartment complex on Westbend Parkway and located the victim, who was found to be safe, with an adult later identified as Winniford.

Winniford was arrested and booked into the Orleans Parish Justice Center on a charge of aggravated kidnapping of a child.

Louisiana State Police had issued a Level II Endangered/Missing Child alert in this incident on August 20, but canceled the alert shortly before 6 a.m. on August 21.

Anyone with additional information on this incident is asked to contact NOPD Special Victims Section at 504-658-5267. Citizens with information that can help solve crimes are asked to call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111 or toll-free at 1-877-903-STOP.