On Thursday, June 27, 2024, the Steuben County, Indiana, Sheriff’s deputies responded to a distressing report of a young child allegedly being taken from a residence in the 4700 block of County Road 100 S. in western Pleasant Township.
Swiftly springing into action, the deputies initiated a coordinated effort with area law enforcement to aid in the search for the child.
Upon conducting a thorough preliminary investigation, it was disclosed that a 5-year-old boy had been reportedly taken by a relative from the care of the child’s father, who had objected to the child’s departure with the said relative.
Identified as Patricia Reffeitt, aged 49, the relative departed from the residence with the child in a red passenger vehicle.
Subsequent details emerged, indicating that the suspect was en route to a hospital where the child’s mother, in the midst of a divorce from the father, was undergoing a medical procedure at Cameron Hospital in Angola.
In a commendable display of efficiency, Sheriff’s deputies swiftly located the child and Reffeitt, ensuring the safe return of the child to his father within approximately 30 minutes of the initial report.
Reffeitt declined to engage with detectives and was subsequently taken into custody without incident.
In the aftermath of these events, Reffeitt was booked into the Steuben County Jail on a preliminary charge of kidnapping, classified as a level 5 felony.
She is currently being held without bond pending an initial court appearance.