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Last updated on Wednesday, April 22, 2015
(ANDERSON) - Murder and kidnapping are among the charges filed against a woman accused of luring a woman and her newborn from Anderson to Gary.
Geraldine Jones was arrested in Texas after her family told investigators she went there after leaving the baby girl with her sister. The baby girl belonged to Samantha Fleming, whom police say was stabbed to death at Jones's home on April 6 after Jones lured her there by pretending to be an investigator with the Department of Child Services. "(Jones) was fairly fluent in the language utilized by DCS and was able to make mention of legitimate names of several employees with the department," said Sgt. Chad Boynton with Anderson Police, who are leading the investigation. "We think that's likely what caused Samantha to lower her guard and to be influenced to head to Lake County. She was under the impression she was going for a court hearing." Investigators believe Jones was planning on trying to raise the baby as her own - she told her family the girl's name was Bella.
Fleming is believed to have had prior history with DCS, though Boynton did not know the extent of the history - it is believed that she had other children, but Boyton says it appears Serenity, who is now about a month old, was the only child living with Samantha and her boyfriend. The child was not hurt and is now back with family in Indianapolis, Boynton said.
It isn't known whether DCS had investigated Jones for any reason in the past, but whatever she learned of the language used by case workers, she appears to have learned on her own. "Geraldine Jones has not and never worked for DCS," said department spokeswoman Jeannie Keating. Due to confidentiality laws, Keating said DCS could not comment on whether Jones or Fleming had been previously investigated by the agency. The Chicago Tribune reported that Jones and her estranged husband had a previous child welfare case in Lake County.
Jones had gone to Bedford, Texas near Dallas purportedly to visit her mother after leaving Serenity with her sister. Anderson Police found Serenity at Jones's apartment being cared for by the sister on April 17, and that's when Samantha Fleming's body was found. "Her sister basically relayed to the detectives that Geraldine had left one week prior to that," Boynton said. "While she was in Texas, she was admitted to some facility for treatment of depression and possible suicidal thoughts." Jones apparently had taken an overdose of sleeping pills prior to her hospital admission.
Jones is in jail in Bedford, and Boynton says it appears she will not try to prevent a transfer back to Indiana, and police expect her to be in Anderson no later than April 30th.
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