IDAHO FALLS — Idaho authorities today charged Kelley Jean Lodmell with first-degree murder and kidnapping in the disappearance of her 19-month-old granddaughter, Acacia Patience Bishop.
Police and prosecutors believe the Salt Lake County girl may have drowned in the Snake River.
"We have information to believe that she intentionally jumped into the river in an attempt to commit suicide and in attempt to kill the baby as well," Idaho Falls Police Sgt. Steve Hunt said in a noon news conference.
"Unfortunately, we feel pretty confident that the baby went into the water," Hunt said.
The pair disappeared Sunday from the Salt Lake County home where Lodmell's mother — the baby's great-grandmother — was baby sitting her. Salt Lake County authorities activated an AMBER Alert early Monday morning; Lodmell, 38, was found in Idaho Falls that afternoon.
Bonneville County prosecutor Dane Watkins said he filed one count of first-degree murder by aggravated battery or kidnapping and one count of kidnapping, both first-degree felonies. Lodmell could face the death penalty if convicted.
Hydroplant technician Kelly Shaw was working outside the Idaho Falls Power plant when a drenched Lodmell ran up to him and said her granddaughter was in the river.
The maternal grandmother of 19-month-old Acacia Patience Bishop kept her head to the ground and wouldn't talk. Shaw said he couldn't even get the woman to point to the spot where the baby fell into the water. Frantic, Shaw grabbed Lodmell by the arms and asked her if anyone else was in the river.
"It was definitely strange," he said. "I had to get pretty loud with her, shake her a little, but I needed to know. My heart was racing, too."
Shaw called 911 but could not determine where the girl had slipped underwater.
This morning, a scent dog scoured the banks of the Snake River, and divers were expected to complete their methodical underwater search for Acacia later today.
Meanwhile, Lodmell, 38, was scheduled for a 1 p.m. court appearance in Idaho Falls. Lodmell is accused of kidnapping Acacia Sunday from the Salt Lake County home of the girl's great-grandmother. Lodmell apparently drove with the girl to Idaho Falls, where she told police she and Acacia fell into the river while they were dipping their feet in the water at a local park. As of late Tuesday morning, Lodmell had not been charged with any crimes in connection with the incident, though investigators said they had information that caused them to question whether the girl accidentally fell into the water.
"We're not 100 percent sure a homicide occurred. But we have enough information now that we should treat this as a homicide," said Idaho Falls Police Sgt. Steve Hunt.
Salt Lake authorities were awaiting word of the girl's whereabouts before proceeding with any potential kidnapping charges in Utah.
"The issue is where is the child, and clearly Kelley Lodmell is the last one that had possession of her," Salt Lake County deputy district attorney Kent Morgan said. "If the child is deceased, then Idaho certainly has the greater interest in prosecution."
If they do pursue murder charges in the case, Idaho authorities could also include kidnapping charges against Lodmell, Salt Lake County sheriff's deputy Peggy Faulkner said. If Idaho declined to file charges, Utah authorities would then seek a governor's warrant to have Lodmell extradited to Utah, Faulkner said.
"We really don't know what's going to happen," she said.
The underwater search for Acacia was slow going as divers were hampered by poor visibility. The pool where authorities believe Acacia's tiny body may lie is a man-made diversion that is about 30 feet deep, 200 yards long and 50 feet wide. Divers who searched the murky water Monday for nearly eight hours said they could see only a few inches in front of them. Searchers recovered a doll and baby shoes on the bank Monday evening, Hunt said.
After completing the search, divers will likely know with a "99 percent certainty" whether Acacia is in the water, dive team leader and Bonneville County, Idaho, Sheriff's Sgt. Karl Casperson said.
Searchers also planned to use large rakes to remove debris from the grates guarding the turbines of the power plant near the pool where Acacia disappeared.
If Bishop's body did make it downstream it would likely float to the surface after about one week, Casperson said.
Police are slowly piecing together the path that Lodmell took before Acacia's disappearance.
Investigators have searched Lodmell's car and hotel room located on the banks of the river. A hotel clerk saw the two check into a room Sunday night.
A television viewer watching a local newscast Monday night called police to report he also saw Lodmell and the girl at the same park where the two allegedly fell into the water.
Monday, officers from the Idaho Falls Police Department detained Lodmell at Bonneville County Jail after she was found at a park adjacent to the river in Idaho Falls. At 11:49 a.m. Monday, police responded to a 911 call reporting that a woman had lost a baby in the swift-moving river, which averages about 40 degrees. When officers arrived at the park, one of them recognized Lodmell from the AMBER Alert that had been issued earlier in the day, according to Salt Lake County Sheriff Aaron Kennard. The 911 call had been made at the request of Lodmell. Two detectives from Salt Lake County flew to Idaho Falls Monday afternoon to question her, Kennard said.
A dozen two-person dive teams spent much of Monday searching the Snake River, which bisects Idaho Falls. Kennard said the search has been hampered by high runoff levels and swift currents. "Needless to say it's high, and it will be tough for the dive teams to find anything," he said.
Finding Acacia safely still remains a remote possibility, however, as apparently no one actually witnessed Lodmell go into the river with the baby, Kennard said.
Ordinarily, the abduction of a child by a family member would be treated as a custodial problem, but Kennard said the AMBER Alert was issued after sheriff's deputies were unable to locate the baby and multiple interviews with family members indicated that Acacia could be in danger.
At a Monday press conference, Acacia's mother, Casey Lodmell, and great-grandmother, Linda Lodmell, said that the grandmother has been diagnosed as bipolar and may also be paranoid schizophrenic. She has been ill for 12 years and has gotten progressively worse.
"You never know what she's going to do from one minute to the next," said Linda Lodmell, who was tending Acacia and was cleaning house and left the child alone briefly to put away the vacuum. "I thought I could trust Kelley (the grandmother). I never dreamed she would do that."
So far, it appears the girl was not physically abused during her time with Lodmell, according to Faulkner.
"We don't have any indication (that abuse occurred)," Faulkner said. "The family said she didn't have any history of abusing the baby."
But this was not the first time that Kelley Lodmell had taken Acacia. About a year ago, she took the baby, although Acacia was found in a basement 30 minutes later. A report was filed with the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office, although no charges were pressed against Kelley Lodmell.
Linda Lodmell, a frequent baby-sitter for her great-granddaughter, was tending Acacia while the child's parents were at a wedding reception. Linda Lodmell said she never leaves Acacia alone with Kelley Lodmell, who has had limited contact with the little girl since the incident last year.
Dick Lodmell, Acacia's great-grandfather, said Monday night he is "devastated" the girl disappeared from his house, where his wife was with her.
"It happened on our watch," he said. "She was just a delight. She brought so much love and joy into our house," Dick Lodmell said of the great-granddaughter who had lived at their house for 17 months.
Monday night, Acacia's parents were en route to Idaho Falls to distribute fliers and get the word out that their child could be in the town.
Dick Lodmell said police have been tight-lipped. "We've learned more from (television) news" than from authorities, he said.
Nor did Adam Bishop, Acacia's father, know that the AMBER Alert had been canceled early Monday evening until informed by a reporter. "That's means they're assuming the baby's dead, right?" he asked.
Salt Lake County sheriff's deputy Peggy Faulkner said the AMBER Alert is specifically for missing children when authorities do not know where in the United States the child could be.
"We have the suspect. We have the car. We don't need to do a nationwide search because she's either in the water or in that area," Faulkner said, explaining why the alert was canceled.
Kelley Lodmell is homeless and usually lives in her car, but she often comes to the house to wash her clothes, Linda Lodmell said. She has been on and off medication for her mental-health problems but is without work and has no money to pay for expensive medications, Linda Lodmell said.
Kelley Lodmell also has a criminal record that includes arrests for intoxication, drug possession, driving while under the influence and aggravated assault. The last time she was in jail was January.
Linda Lodmell said she tried getting mental-health care for her daughter through the Corrections Department and a parole officer, but no one has provided any services, she said.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office at 1-801-743-7000.
Contributing: Laura Hancock, Derek Jensen.
E-MAIL: preavy@desnews.com, jdobner@desnews.com; jloftin@desnews.com