Myrtle Beach Woman Jailed in Baby Snatch

November 12, 2009 by Cathy Ribble
Filed under: News

Myrtle Beach mother Annette Rich has been charged with kidnapping 2-week-old Sharawn Jarod Chestnut, Jr. Rich, who has three children of her own, apparently snatched the baby from his bed on Tuesday night shortly after midnight.

“I’ve known her for about two years,” said Criche Nelson, the baby’s mother. “I never would have thought she would have done something like this. She came to my house on a regular basis. I know now I have to be more careful.”

Criche Nelson put her son down to sleep about midnight Tuesday. The baby disappeared from his home about an hour later, and was found in a car with Rich Tuesday afternoon after someone called in a tip to police.

Annette Rich was visiting in the Nelson home the evening the baby disappeared.

“When she left, I went to go check on him and he was gone,” Nelson said.

Rich returned to the Nelson home when the baby was discovered missing and told police she didn’t know where the baby was. She put up a front acting like she was helping to find the baby.

Judge Andy Hendrick set Rich’s bail at $75,000 yesterday and ordered that if Rich is released, she is to stay away from the baby’s mother and her family. At the hearing Rich cried, telling the judge she was nine months pregnant and two weeks overdue. The Nelson family believes Rich lied about the pregnancy and wanted to pretend the baby was her own.

The tip to Conway police came in Tuesday afternoon when they received a 911 call reporting that Rich had the baby and was leaving the area in a vehicle. The Nelson family is thankful that the caller also supplied a description of the vehicle and a license plate number.

Rich has three children of her own, ages 14, 9 and 5. Her prior criminal record includes arrests on misdemeanor charges. She pleaded guilty of drug possession in 2008.