Mother Accused of Kidnapping 4-Year-Old Daughter and Hiding Her at Missouri 'Cult' Compound: Feds

Federal authorities say a woman is facing charges after she allegedly abducted her non-custodial daughter from Utah and transported her to Missouri to live at a religious compound with the help from family members.

A federal grand jury indicted 53-year-old Kimberly Dell Davidson-Drolet recently on charges of kidnapping and conspiracy to commit kidnapping, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah.

Authorities say the suspect's son, 30-year-old Jaxson Davidson, along with 23-year-old Dallas Davidson and 53-year-old Kristine Merrill, assisted in the alleged kidnapping and face the same charges.

Davidson-Drolet allegedly kidnapped her non-custodial daughter from Utah in January 2023 through June 2024, officials said. A warrant was issued for her arrest on Dec. 20, 2023.

According to a bulletin from the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, the victim was 4 years old when Davidson-Drolet abducted her.

Davidson-Drolet hid their location by using the United States Postal Service and cellular and other electronic devices such as a burner phone, officials said.

She reportedly “went through great lengths to avoid apprehension and formed an elaborate plan to take the child out of Utah” with the help of her co-defendants, according to prosecutors.

Police claimed Davidson-Drolet and her son drove to Missouri, and Merrill helped them leave.

After her departure, Davidson-Drolet reportedly ignored a court order regarding the custody of her child. She and her ex-husband were in the middle of a divorce and child custody hearings before the alleged abduction, according to court documents obtained by KOLR-TV.

The suspect “remained at large for over a year” and “hid the child away from her custodial father and law enforcement" following the abduction, which was allegedly planned by Davidson-Drolet 14 months in advance, officials said.

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Police said Jaxson Davidson, Dallas Davidson and Merrill continued to conceal Davidson-Drolet and the child’s whereabouts from authorities.

Before her arrest, Davidson-Drolet was reportedly seen with the child at a compound, run by Paul Dean, a leader of a Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints “religious-type cult,” who may be related to Davidson-Drolet, according to prosecutors.

She is scheduled to appear in court on Aug. 13, officials said.