Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: MONDAY, February 7, 1994 TAG: 9402070018
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: AUSTIN, TEXAS LENGTH: Medium
Eryn and Melissa Baugh counted on their baby sitter. When they returned home Jan. 21 the sitter and their two children were gone.
They found their 2-year-old daughter at a home where the sitter allegedly left her, but the woman and their infant son had vanished.
Cathy Lynn Henderson was arrested last week in Missouri after she was featured on the TV show "America's Most Wanted."
Three-month-old Brandon wasn't with Henderson, and now she isn't talking.
"She has done everything she can to keep us from finding Brandon," said Travis County Sheriff Terry Keel, adding there was a "strong possibility that what we are dealing with here is a homicide and possibly a capital murder."
Charged with kidnapping, Henderson faces a bond hearing this week.
On Sunday, authorities continued searching.
"We are not optimistic about the health of the child," said FBI spokesman Max Geiman.
Authorities say the 37-year-old baby sitter took the Baugh daughter and her own 4-year-old daughter to an in-law's house and gave an 11-year-old girl $10 to care for the two children.
After finding the girl, the Baughs worked with sheriff's deputies, a national missing persons group and the TV program trying to find Brandon.
About 30 people shared tears and hugs with the boy's parents Saturday at a prayer vigil on the Capitol steps.
"It's hard," Melissa Baugh said Saturday. "I just want my child back. I just want her to tell me where he is."
Many then climbed into cars draped in baby blue ribbons and embarked on a journey toward Missouri to try to find the boy themselves.
"This has brought out the parent in everyone," said Lois Smith, who helped organize the vigil. "It's a parent's worst nightmare."
Court records show Henderson lost custody of two daughters from a previous marriage after judges concluded she had abused the children.
"It's my understanding she was not licensed," said sheriff's spokesman Andy Saenz. "Some clients gave her the highest praise, while others said she frequently lost her temper and would go into sustained rages."
Her mother, Wanda Hancock, said Henderson craved another child.
"She always wanted a little boy," Hancock said. "Cathy has not had a very good life. Not having her children with her has upset her and kept her stressed out a lot."
by CNB