https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7431415/Ohio-mom-43-tried-smuggle-newborn-Philippines-paraded-national-TV.html
A Utah woman who allegedly purchased a newborn from a teen mom in the Philippines and later tried to smuggle him out of the country in her hand luggage faces life in prison after being charged with human trafficking and child abuse
Jennifer Erin Talbot, 42, is said to have arranged to adopt the six-day-old baby from the young mother who she first met online before attempting to fly home with the boy to the US on Wednesday.
Talbot, from Sandy, who is married with five children, was able to pass through the airport's immigration counter without raising suspicions, however she was later intercepted at the gate by Delta Airlines personnel.
Clad in an orange detainee shirt and handcuffs Thursday, Talbot was paraded on national television in front of reporters as officials from the National Bureau of investigation announced her human trafficking charges.
In addition, officials said she will also be tried for child abuse and kidnapping with serious illegal detention
Talbot kept her head low and appeared at times to be on the verge of tears throughout the parade and subsequent press conference.
She only broke her silence to say she was from Ohio, despite investigators listing her current home as an address in Utah.
The investigation bureau said Talbot presented an affidavit at the airport, allegedly from the baby's mother, Maricris Cempron Dulap, giving consent for the baby to travel to the US, but it had not been signed by Dulap.
Officials said no government travel approval had been issued for the baby, prompting them to file human trafficking charges against Talbot.
She also allegedly told officials she was the boy's aunt, but failed to provide any documents to substantiate the claim
Investigators are yet to determine whether any money exchanged hands between Talbot and Dulap, but say they're continuing to investigate the alleged deal.
US Embassy officials have been notified of her arrest, and she faces life in prison and and a fine somewhere between $38,500 to $96,200 if found guilty.
'She just wanted to give the baby a name and church blessing,' NBI-International Airport Investigation Unit (NBI-IAIU) chief Manuel Dimaano told reporters on Thursday.
Talbot, who was raised in Ohio, has no previous criminal history in the US. She told officers she is married with 'five special children', though its unclear if they're all biological or not.
Dulap and the baby's father, believed to be based in Davao City, have also been charged with child abuse but remain at large
Talbot has been married three times and currently lives with her husband Lawrence, 58, in Sandy, Utah.
She has previously lived in Virginia, Florida and Ohio, and currently works at the ZCMI Center Mall in Salt Lake County.
She had two children with her first husband, Craig Holder, one of which became center to a paternity suit in 2008.
Her eldest son, Spencer Holder, is currently serving as a US Navy sailor.
Talbot later married attorney David Pace, who represented her, but they split the same year the suit was filed.
The University of Utah alum was ready to board a Delta Air Lines flight to the United States with the baby at Ninoy Aquino International Airport on Wednesday when she was halted and subjected to a bag search, officials said.
After discovering the baby in her 'over-sized belt bag', airline staff called immigration personnel, who arrested Talbot at the airport.
Talbot was later turned over to the National Bureau of Investigation and the baby was given to government welfare personnel