Tenn. returns children to mom in kidnapping case

Ok, so my last post was a little hasty!  This explains WHY they took the kids and also that they have now given all four kids back to the parents.  The other articles I had seen did not mention the father, but this one does.

Tenn. returns children to mom in kidnapping case

By Chris Echegaray and Kate Howard, The Tennessean

NASHVILLE — A woman whose infant son was kidnapped by a woman posing as an immigration agent who brutally attacked her will regain custody of all of her children.

The Tennessee Department of Children's Services on Tuesday dropped its claim that Maria Gurrola's four children be removed from her care filed after allegations that Gurrola and her husband knew of a plan to sell the baby before the Sept. 29 kidnapping.

An attorney with DCS confirmed that the petition for removal of the children has been withdrawn, and a hearing scheduled for Tuesday afternoon has been canceled.

The department removed the children — the infant and three siblings ages 3, 9 and 11 — from their family on Saturday, after Gurrola was briefly reunited with her newborn son, Yair Antonio Carrillo, who was kidnapped.

Police say Tammy Renee Silas, 39, posed as an immigration agent Sept. 29 to get into Gurrola's South Nashville home and stabbed the mother before leaving with then-4-day-old Yair.

Silas is currently in federal custody facing kidnapping charges after she was arrested Friday night at her home in Ardmore, Ala., with the baby.

Tuesday's hearing was planned at Juvenile Court to discuss allegations that the family may have known of a plot to sell the baby for $25,000. Court documents did not detail who made the allegations.

Metro police spokesman Don Aaron released a press release saying that Metro police agree that the children should be returned to the parents after extensive interviews by Metro, TBI and the FBI over the last day. All the agencies are in agreement, he said.

"At this time, (authorities) do not believe the parents, Maria Gurrola and Jose Carrillo, are involved," Aaron said. "Significant unanswered questions remain, however, including why Gurrola and her newborn son were chosen by alleged kidnapper, Tammy Renee Silas. Statements made to law enforcement by Silas are part of the continuing investigation."

Tenn. returns children to mom in kidnapping case - USATODAY.com