Momfluencer Fakes Attempted Kidnapping To Gain Attention

(upbeat music) - Hey, I'm Tara Sarabhan and you're listening to World's Dumbest Criminals. If you're keen to hear about the most ridiculous, bizarre and downright stupid criminals and crime stories in the world ever, you've come to the right place. In today's episode, you'll be hearing about an Instagram mumfluencer from California who tried to get more followers by falsely accusing a Latino couple of trying to kidnap her children and more. Alrighty, let's get cracking. What do you do when you're an aspiring mumfluencer from California and you want to gain more followers? Does the term mumfluencer give you the ik? It works me hardcore, but this is the official term for mum influences. And there are heaps of them out there. As a mumfluencer, how do you separate yourself from the other wholesomely pretty mums with hot tips about beauty and parenting and gain a lot of followers? I mean, there's only so many ways to make videos suggesting that apples are healthy and dusting your face with bronzer will give you a healthy glow, even if one of your sprogs has kept you up half the night. How do you make sure more people are watching yours? What some clickbait you could post that would bring in the views? I mean, you wouldn't spend all that time and effort putting on makeup that kind of looks like no makeup and ensuring your beanie sits atop your head just so. Or dressing your crotch fruit in matchy matchy outfits to make wholesome pumpkin spice-centered videos about how much your family is looking for to the fall, just have a small number of people watching them. And what about your spawn concepts on getting out tough stains? These are important works of art and they deserve to be seen by tons of people, like the Mona Lisa. In fact, the audience is the one missing out if they don't get a tutorial on your Nana Mary's turkey meatloaf that all your kids will love. The secret ingredient is Benadryl. Shh. No offense to any mumfluances out there who might be listening. I really don't know much about the entire industry. I'm just trying to give Katie shit. I don't want to earn the eye of the mumfluencer industry. They seem like they'd be really organised. (laughs) Not a good idea. In 2020, a young mumfluencer named Katie Sorensen came up with a brilliant plan to grow her Instagram audience. It was instant clickbait and fed into conspiracy theories and quite frankly, it was racist as hell. She did so by sharing two Instagram stories about the apparent attempted kidnapping of her kids by a Latino couple. On December 7th, 2020, Katie took her two sons to Michael's art and hobby supply store in Petaluma. Well, let's have a listen to her version of events. Monday of this week, my children were the targets of attempted kidnapped, which is such a weird thing to even vocalize. But it happened. And I want to share that story with you in an effort to raise awareness as to what science to look for, and to just encourage parents to be more aware of their surroundings and what is going on around them. I think right now we are so distracted by everything that's going on in the world that we are kind of have our guards up so much about masks and wanting to keep our children safe that way that we're forgetting the most important way to keep them safe and that is with us and to not have them taken. So I'm going to share our story in an effort to raise that awareness, but it's, I'm not ready. I, this is hard for me. I'm not ready to share this story, but I know it's important and I would rather be uncomfortable and awkward and get the message out sooner than wait until I feel composed 'cause I don't know if I'll ever be composed talking about this. So here we go. On Monday, like I said, my children were the targets of attempted kidnapped. We went to Michael's craft store just to Renifu errands, get some things to make some homemade gifts. Very quick trip. I have not taken my children out a lot as of late, but this was just a situation where we just needed to run this errand and I thought I can prepare it. I brought the double stroller, thinking I'd just throw them in, cover them up, put the cover on top and just walk through the store quickly, grab our stuff and go, "I only have two items I needed to grab." And then I did a target pick up. So that was the only time we were getting out of the car. So we get to Michael's. I park as far away as possible. In an effort to not inconvenience others with our big stroller. That's what I, that was always my go to when I brought the double stroller. I'd park far away so that people wouldn't be frustrated with me taking forever getting the stroller in and out. That was the first thing that from this day forward, I will be doing differently if I ever choose to bring my kids out again. Oh, she's very considerate, isn't she? I mean, maybe she's not a true crime buff, but I thought everyone knows you don't park as far away from a store as possible. That's where the real kidnappings tend to go down and the CCTV footage is often more blurry, so it's harder to see who did it. Her second video is no longer available, but in her police statement, Katie said that she noticed a Latino couple behaving suspiciously in the parking lot. She said that they were very taken with her children and followed her closely into and around the store, staring at them. It's probably important to note that Katie is very blonde head and blue-eyed. She and Sherry Papini of fake my own kidnapping and blame Hispanics for it, fame, look like they could be sisters. Total Nazi, wank bank material. And that's not all they have in common. Katie told the police that the couple followed her out to her car and tried to kidnap her kids before she screamed and they got scared off. During her police interview, the cops showed Katie some surveillance photos of other shoppers in Michaels at the time she was there. She fingered Sadie and Eddie Martinez as being the culprits in the kidnapping scheme, even though she knew the footage was to be made public in a search for the couple. The Martinez has only learnt about the allegations against them after their pictures were circulated by the media in relation to the case and of course they were mortified. After posting the videos and racking up millions of views, Katie did some media interviews to take full advantage of the free publicity. She told Katie VU that she overheard Sadie and Eddie Martinez blotting their evil plan. She said, "I heard them talking about the features of my children, but I was totally paralyzed with fear. I just couldn't bring myself to say anything." "Oh, she's so wholesome, isn't she? She doesn't bother anyone." "Oh, she's considerate, so considerate, so wholesome." She claimed that after trailing her around the store, the Martinez stood behind her in the checkout queue, even though they weren't buying anything and then followed her outside. Katie stated that when she reached her car, "Oh, the way at the back of the parking lot, a white van was parked next to hers." She thought it was strange as she was parked so far from the store. So apparently not only did the Martinez as follow her and her precious womb nuggets into the store, around the store, and all the way to the far end of the parking lot, but they also took two steps forward and then two steps back as they watched her load her children into the car. Katie said it was "very awkward. There's no other explanation to why they would do that other than they were building up the courage." "Sure, Katie. Hard and child abductors always awkwardly tried to build up courage before striking. Oh, there are very underconfident bunch." She also told KTVU that Eddie had reached out and grabbed the stroller, but that another man walked past at the same time and she began to scream for help. So the couple fled the scene in a car, but another man emerged from the creepy white van next to her vehicle. She said he acted like he was trying to help her before scampering off himself. So I guess she's saying he was involved in the conspiracy. Maybe he's the guy who she claimed Eddie called to talk about her kids' features when they were in the art supplies store. "Hey, it's Eddie. We've just seen the most amazing and special kids ever. They're probably smarter and more talented than everyone else's kids too. We simply must kidnap them and sell them to Tom Hanks so he can keep them in his dungeon under a pizza shop or whatever. Get this. They have eyes, mouths and noses. Yep, one knows each. Now please keep in mind that these are real people. people she's talking about, not some meetup sketches. The pictures of Sadie and Eddie were being splashed across the media and Katie kept coming with her damning accusations. She had even more daft and nonsensical shit to say to the media, including, "I saw these people, they didn't look necessarily clean cut." "Um, not everyone gets old, old up just to go to the craft store. Oh, perhaps it was Eddie's Black Lives Matter t-shirt that she was objecting to." She continued, "I felt uncomfortable around them, and instead of making them uncomfortable with my discomfort, I chose to remain in my discomfort." "Ah, what the fuck does that mean?" "When investigators research Katie's social media accounts, they found that she'd been trying to expand her brand on Instagram, but hadn't had much success." Prosecutors later said, "While political views or affiliation should in no way influence the suitability of a defendant for diversion, the defendant was found to be in significant engagement with QAnon conspiracy theories which tend to center around kidnappers and pedophiles." "Get that QAnon spawned, can't bitch." The pedaluma police stated that when Katie spoke to them, she only wanted to report suspicious behaviour and didn't want anyone arrested. If you truly believed someone had tried to kidnap your children, why wouldn't you want to press charges? Wouldn't you want them off the streets so they're not out there trying to kidnap other kids?" The cops said, "She was calm, giggled at one point, and did not appear to be in any emotional distress." "Hi, officer, some people who aren't white just tried to steal my beautiful blonde babies. I'd like to raise awareness of kidnapping, but I don't want to press any charges. I just think it's important to raise awareness." The two Instagram videos that she posted about this and the national media coverage at Spart bought her four and a half million views. "What are those people thinking? I only want to get my mum-fluencer advice from a woman whose kid's a kidnap worthy." There's an interesting podcast about the mum-fluencer industry called Under the Influence. Its host, Jopiaza, told the Mercury News. What is known is that following Katie Sirenson's initial post, the number of followers to her Instagram account jumped overnight from fewer than 6,000 to more than 80,000, which elevated her from a micro-micronano influencer to the realm of a pretty powerful mum-influencer. She added that the claims made by Katie had everything that in our "click-batie society" people wanted devour and be enraged by. Into the police had checked out all the surveillance footage at Michaels and spoke to witnesses. They officially cleared Sadie and Eddie of any wrongdoing. Investigators said of the footage. When the defendant left the store, she was not followed by anyone. The Martinez exited the store and was seen walking together on camera about 30 seconds behind the defendant and went directly to their car. So they didn't follow her or lunge at her prom and there was no spooky white van parked next to her. She didn't scream and get assistance from anyone. She went to her car, put her kids in it and left the parking lot without incident. One of the things I find most confusing about this case is that Katie never met a camera she didn't love and as such you'd think she'd know about the CCTV. The store she went to is a big one and it was covered with surveillance cameras inside and out. After the truth came out and the Martinez's were cleared, Katie stopped talking to the press, made her Instagram private and moved to Montana. She still has nearly 57,000 Instagram followers. I hope they enjoy her Nana Mary's Turkey Meatloaf recipe. The trick is not to cook it for too long or it goes brown. Sadie Martinez held a press conference outside the Michael store after she and Eddie were cleared by the police. During it she encouraged people to stand up to racism and to have Katie prosecuted. Let's have a listen. Hi, thank you everybody for coming today. I want to start with thanking the community because yes, it's been an unpleasant circumstance of events but the support in this community has been something amazing, the village in which I live, I think all of you, every single one of you children that has come out to support me today and their parents. This is kind of hard for me. I'm a pretty laid back individual. I'm a mom, a five and petalima. My husband's a local UPS man. We're just in everyday family. So to get up and go shopping one day and then be accused of trying to abduct somebody's children is heartbreaking. In my home on a typical day I have numerous kids in and out of my house. Kids sleep in my home. I know more kids in this town than I know adults. So my heart was broken. My heart is broken. The Katie's of the world. It stops here. I'm sorry. It's not going on anymore. I think Katie thought that she could just pick on somebody or make up a story about people because she didn't like what they looked like. And I don't know if anybody's been paying attention in the last four years but there's been a lot of racism going on and well, Katie's following suit. So am I shocked? No. But will we stand for hell? No. But today I stand in front of everybody in a fight to prosecute Katie. That's why I'm here. In April 2021, Katie was charged with three misdemeanor counts of providing false reports to the police. She entered a not guilty plea and tried unsuccessfully to get the charges dismissed. The lawyer court hearing in February this year, so no McCounty Superior Court again refused to dismiss the charges against Katie. The prosecutors stated, "In this case, the defendant did not merely misunderstand the situation. Based on the video surveillance footage, it is clear the defendant manufactured the entire report." The defendant continuously maintained that she was 100% sure of the Martinez's attempt to abduct her children and broadcast her dishonest certainty to millions of people. The matter is due to be discussed in court again soon with a jury trial to be scheduled for Katie. If convicted, she vases up to 180 days in jail for each misdemeanor. "Quiet 20 writers should think in response of that 42-mail of the gun call and homes." Do you find yourself staggering from one deadline to the next and struggling to keep up enthusiasm to meet all your commitments? It's the story of my life. Fortunately, I've discovered a little shot of energizing goodness called "magic mind." It gives me the sustained energy I need to get everything done and also helps me focus and use my time more productively. I've noticed from using it regularly for several weeks now that I have less stress and anxiety. A big part of that is because magic mind helps me get more done, but it's also because it contains a compound called L-theanine that naturally reduces your body's stress levels, as well as barcope and moneary, a new topic that improves your attention span, your ability to process and learn new information, and your memory. Seeing how well it works for me, I would really encourage you to try it as well if you're having trouble being energized and focused. It is a total game changer. The magic mind team created a great offer for me to share with my listeners. You get up to 56% off your first subscription in the next 10 days and 20% off your one-time purchase with the discount code criminalsd20. You can claim the offer at www.magicmint.co/dumvstcri m-im-im-al-s. And redeem it with the discount code crim-im-im-al-s-d20. But hurry up as the 56% discount only lasts 10 days from the episode release date. To finish up, I have a few punchline crimes for you. These are short cases that sound more like jokes than something that actually happens. In April 2012, 20-year-old Michael Baker posed for a picture while sithening petrol from a police car and flipping the road finger. But what's the point of getting such an epicly awesome picture taken if you can't show it off? lived in the small town of Jenkins. which only has around 2,000 residents. It's one of those places where everyone knows each other. So when he posted his incriminatingly rad picture on Facebook, it didn't take long for the Jenkins City Police Department to find out about it. They hadn't even noticed it stole the petrol until the picture was bought to their attention. Michael had to take the photo down after his arrest, but he posted on Facebook. Yeah, whoa, I went to jail over Facebook. And when a friend who hadn't seen it asked about the picture, Michael replied, "Yeah, whoa, you just would have had to see it. It was funny, it's hell though." He sounds like the perfect candidate to get a misspelled no regret statue. As clearly, he has no regrets. A 43-year-old season burglar got himself in a crumb and nearly embarrassing situation while trying to rob a house in Germany. He climbed over the garden gate while the family wasn't home and entered the property through the back patio doors. He'd grabbed a laptop, a mobile phone, and some tasty snacks to eat on his way home before he noticed a storeroom that he hadn't piled for yet. After he went inside the storeroom, the doors slammed shut behind him, and due to a fault with the lock, he couldn't open it from inside. He spent ages desperately trying to escape the room before the residence got home, but he could not find a way out. Eventually, he had to give up and call the police to come and rescue him. They freed the red face burglar from the storeroom and well, promptly arrested him. A couple of years back, a 46-year-old rodeo clown named Glenn Crookshank had himself a rage stroke over a text that apparently wasn't even meant for him. Glenn had bumped into an old mate of here in his ex-girlfriends at a rodeo in Maryborough, Queensland, but after a brief conversation, he was told to leave the mutual friend alone. Later that night, Glenn had several drinks and texted the man asking him what the problem was. The guy responded by sending a text calling him "a "cunt head". Just to be clear, that is not a common insult here in Australia. The insult caused the inebriated clown to get enraged and threaten to come to the guy's house to rain down some carny justice on his ass. He also called him a dog-cunt. Again, not a super-common insult, but more popular than "cunt head". Although the man had told Glenn that the text wasn't meant for him, later that night he was in bed when drunky the clown broke into his house and physically attacked him. When he got done beating on the guy, Glenn told him not to call the police, shook his hand and asked him, "Oh, where's Jill mates, right?" But yeah, nah, they were not Jill mates. In July 2022, Glenn pleaded guilty to a charge of breaking enter to commit a sold-occasioning bodily harm. He was sentenced to two and a half years in jail. This brings me to the end of the episode. Thanks for listening. Go ahead and subscribe if you want to stay up to date with all future episodes, and if you liked what you heard, please leave a review. If you'd like to support the podcast, head on over to patreon.com/worldstummerscriminals. All levels get access to monthly bonus episodes and add free episodes, and higher levels also receive some random baby teeth and a rose-gold time machine. Thanks to Paris Dominici for coming on board as a patron. Thanks Paris, I really appreciate your support. If you're up for more dumb criminals action in your life, you could follow me on Instagram @worldstummerscriminalspodcast and Twitter @wdcriminalspod. Or you could join our World's Dumbest Criminals Podcast Facebook group. And thank you to the very smart and law-abiding Lorraine Leadwell for running the group with me. Till next time, look after yourself, stay out of trouble, and whatever you do. Don't commit a crime that makes you end up on this podcast. I do. I need material.