Arkansas mom orchestrated staged kidnapping of mentally disabled daughter to teach her bizarre lesson
An Arkansas mother has been accused of staging a kidnapping of her 22‑year‑old daughter, who has mental and physical disabilities, to scare her into staying away from a man online who was pretending to be country star Luke Bryan. Tamara “Tammi” Hamby, who once sat on the Crawford County Library Board, turned herself in on Wednesday after allegedly enlisting three people to pull off the fake abduction, 5news reported.
Deputies first showed up at the scene on Nov. 17 after a warrant called for a possible kidnapping of Hamby’s daughter. According to the court filings, Hamby’s plan was to convince the online “Luke Bryan” to meet her daughter in person, have him pick her up, drive her to a field, demand money and then tie her to a tree. She was supposed to “rescue” her as the kidnapper’s role.
The nursing assistant who cares for the daughter, Shannon Yazmin Yvonne Childers, allegedly recruited two men—David Q. Quach and Nico Austria—to help with the scheme. They arrived at Hamby’s home wearing ski masks, snatched the daughter, and drove her to an unintended field where Austria mistakenly turned the wrong way. Austria then ziptied the daughter and tied her to a tree. The daughter managed to break free but was tackled by Austria and Quach, who re‑tied her. Hamby watched the whole ordeal. The daughter eventually escaped on her own and dialed 911.
“The girl was terrified during the whole interview and clung to a teddy bear,” a Sheriff’s Office deputy told reporters. Hamby resigned from the library board on Nov. 24, citing a move outside the district.
Her husband, Jeffrey Hamby, told the outlet that the mother was trying to intervene after noticing her daughter’s risky online activity. He said the alleged predator had formed a “trauma bond” and was still trying to contact her even after devices were removed. The number traced to Nigeria led Arkansas State Police to confirm it was a fake. Jeffrey called the plot “ill‑conceived” and “poorly executed,” noting that a rehearsal earlier that day with loose zip ties turned into a tighter grip that hurt the daughter’s wrists.
Hamby faces charges of kidnapping, false imprisonment, abuse of an impaired person, battery and terroristic threat. Quach, Austria and Childers were also detained in connection with the case, though all four are currently not in custody. Hamby is scheduled to return to court on Wednesday.
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