A Minnesota couple’s desperate attempt to escape with their infant led to a multi-state manhunt and a tense standoff.
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SCOTT COUNTY, MN
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Savage, Minnesota
couple took drastic steps after their infant was removed from their care by Child Protective Services (CPS), leading to their recent conviction on kidnapping charges. What started as a routine hospital visit escalated into a tense, multi-state search that ended in a six-hour standoff. Now, Amanda Wamack and Zachariah Whitehead await sentencing.
The Incident that Sparked CPS Intervention
On January 12, 2023, Amanda Wamack, 31, and Zachariah Whitehead, 32, brought their week-old infant to the Children’s Emergency Department, reporting that the baby had a fractured arm. According to the criminal complaint, the couple claimed the injury might have been an accident caused while changing the baby’s clothes, noting that the newborn was “wiggly.”
After reviewing the situation, Scott County Child Protection decided to place the infant with a relative, specifically the child’s grandmother. The report details that Wamack and Whitehead became “very upset” when informed of CPS’s decision. They reportedly identified themselves as “sovereign citizens,” expressing strong objections to government interference in their family.
The baby was relocated to the grandmother’s home, where CPS restricted Wamack and Whitehead from staying until further meetings could be arranged. However, just a few days later, the situation escalated.
A Desperate Escape Across State Lines
On January 17, 2023, CPS reached out to the Savage Police Department after Wamack and Whitehead stopped answering calls. Officers were dispatched to the grandmother’s residence, where they discovered that the couple had taken the baby the night before and had left town.
In a surprising turn, the grandmother reportedly “rescinded” her role as the state-appointed caregiver, stating she “did not agree with” CPS’s involvement. As law enforcement searched for leads, they tracked Whitehead’s vehicle, a Ford Explorer towing a U-Haul trailer, which was sighted first in St. Paul and then in Chicago on January 16.
Using an emergency phone ping, police traced Whitehead’s cell phone signal to Kentucky. Their search led them to Wamack’s previous home in Lexington, where they found the couple’s vehicle parked outside.
Arrest and Upcoming Sentencing
After a six-hour negotiation at Wamack’s residence in Lexington, police arrested both parents. The child was safely recovered, and Wamack and Whitehead were transported back to Minnesota to face kidnapping charges.
On Friday, both were convicted on one count of kidnapping. The court has scheduled their sentencing for December 17 at 1 p.m. CT.
As they await sentencing, this case stands as a dramatic example of the legal consequences of resisting CPS custody arrangements. While this chapter is closing, Wamack and Whitehead’s fate remains to be determined in court.
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Crime
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Minnesota
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