IDAHO FALLS — The Salt Lake woman charged with kidnapping and drowning her granddaughter in the Snake River now faces federal charges that she abducted the child.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for Utah filed a kidnapping complaint Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City alleging that Kelley Jean Lodmell snatched her 19-month-old granddaughter Acacia Patience Bishop from the Murray home of the child's great-grandmother May 25. Federal prosecutors were also expected to present kidnapping evidence to a grand jury convening today in Salt Lake City.
The decision to pursue federal charges against Lodmell, 38, means state charges in Idaho's 7th District Court will be placed on hold. Lodmell was ordered to stand trial on murder and kidnapping charges following a June 10 preliminary hearing. Both charges carry a potential death penalty. If convicted of the federal kidnapping charges, Lodmell could spend up to life in prison.
Acacia's parents, Adam Bishop and Casey Lodmell, who are still in Idaho Falls searching for their missing daughter, said they supported the new charges.
"I'm glad that they've deemed it necessary to file formal charges against Kelley because she did cross state lines and endanger my child's life by driving without a car seat," Bishop said. "She's deserving of nothing less than to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Acacia's parents remain convinced Lodmell lied about drowning the girl and are holding out hope that she'll be found alive.
The Bonneville County Sheriff's Office and Idaho Falls Police Department continue weekly searches of the river but haven't found Acacia's body. Countless hours have already been spent searching the cold, murky river after Lodmell told investigators she jumped into the water with Acacia because the girl "needed to go to heaven," according to court documents.
"We haven't come across anything that leads us to believe anything different has happened to Acacia," Idaho Falls Police Sgt. Steve Hunt told reporters at Tuesday's press conference announcing federal charges. "We fully support this decision to move these kidnapping charges to a federal level."
Transferring Lodmell to federal custody will allow her to received a 30- to 60-day psychological evaluation to determine her mental competency, Assistant U.S. Attorney for Utah Barbara Bearnson said.
"I think that's a very strong issue in this case and that needs to be taken care of," Neal Randall, Lodmell's public defender in Idaho Falls, said, adding that he wasn't surprised with the new direction prosecutors have taken.
The state charges against Lodmell will be put on hold until the federal case is completed. FBI agents were expected to transport Lodmell to Salt Lake City Thursday, where she'll appear before U.S. Magistrate Samuel Alba for an initial appearance on the federal charges.
"We may not see her back here for 18 months or two years," Randall said.
Lodmell was scheduled for an arraignment on her state charges this morning in Idaho Falls, but as of late Tuesday it remained unclear if that hearing would proceed. Whatever the case, Randall said he planned later this week to file a motion seeking the dismissal of the murder charge against Lodmell for lack of probable cause.
"I do know that if I were a prosecutor, I would be very worried about that murder charge," Randall said.
Bonneville County Prosecuting Attorney Dane Watkins said Tuesday the apparent lack of physical evidence proving Acacia was murdered was not the "sole factor" for the federal prosecution going forward.
"When we go to trial, we may be going forward with a body, we may not be," Watkins said.
The federal complaint filed Tuesday against Lodmell offered little in the way of new details into Acacia's kidnapping and apparent death.
Lodmell took Acacia from the home of Dick and Linda Lodmell, who are the toddler's great-grandparents, according to the complaint. Dick and Linda Lodmell were baby-sitting Acacia at the time.
Kelley Lodmell stopped at the Six Flags truck stop in Downey, Idaho, where she bought baby items, the complaint says. Lodmell later checked into the Red Lion Hotel in Idaho Falls with Acacia and paid cash for the room when she checked out the next morning, the complaint says.
Two people saw Lodmell and Acacia near the Snake River, but it wasn't until a soaking wet Lodmell contacted an Idaho Falls power plant employee that police became aware that she may have jumped into the water with the girl, according to the complaint.
Police located Acacia's shoes, pacifier and doll, along with one adult-sized shoe and two stockings, on the river bank, the complaint says. The matching adult shoe was later located down river, according to the complaint.
E-mail: djensen@desnews.com