Killeen Woman Indicted in Kidnapping Case

United States Attorney John E. Murphy and Cory B. Nelson, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation - San Antonio Division, announced the indictment of 34-year-old Courtney Elizabeth Hernandez of Killeen, Texas, in connection with the kidnapping of 2 ½-year-old girl earlier this month.

The indictment—returned this afternoon by a federal grand jury in Waco—charges Hernandez with one count of kidnapping. The indictment alleges that on July 5, 2010, Hernandez kidnapped the child and transported her from Texas to Georgia. On Sunday, Georgia State Patrol officers in Augusta initiated a traffic stop after matching a description of the defendant’s vehicle. The officers successfully recovered the abducted child and arrested Hernandez.

Conviction on each count is punishable by a mandatory minimum 20 years to life in federal prison and up to a $250,000 fine. Hernandez remains in federal custody in Georgia awaiting transfer to the Western District of Texas.

This case is being investigated by special agents with the Federal Bureau of Investigation together with the Temple Police Department, Teague (TX) Police Department and the Georgia State Patrol. Assistant United States Attorney Greg Gloff is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

An indictment is merely a charge and should not be considered as evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.