Police say woman posed as CPS worker to kidnap baby

LAS VEGAS, NV - Las Vegas Metropolitan Police arrested a woman who posed as a Child Protection Services worker for an attempted abduction of a 3-week-old baby.

Police said Joanna Boyd, 39, called the police dispatch line on Monday. She said she was a CPS worker and she needed officers to assist her in the emergency pickup of a child.

Metro Police Captain Nicole Splinter said this is not an uncommon request.

Officers help CPS with these situations from time to time. Police met with Boyd near the 4300 block of North Las Vegas Boulevard where she gave them paperwork and what looked like official court orders.

Police said her story sounded suspicious.

Boyd did not know the family personally in the case, but had been in communication with them on social media, because they were looking to buy baby clothes from her, police said. Boyd was able to go through their Facebook pages and learn the baby's name, date of birth, and the parents' dates of birth. That was what she needed to create those fake documents, with accurate information.

Boyd planned to meet with officers before going to the house to get the baby. She was ultimately arrested for several felonies including forgery, attempted kidnapping, possession of a stolen vehicle, impersonating a public officer, and possession of a stun gun/device by a felon.

She did not contact the family on Monday, but officers did.

Boyd is a felon from California, police said. She told police she planned on keeping the baby because her own baby was taken away.

"Clark County Department of Child Services employees are instructed to present their identification card to the families they are working with," Metro Police said in a release. "The employee identification cards should have the name and picture of the employee along with their title. If there are any questions about the authenticity of the credentials, citizens are advised to call 702-399-0081."