Boone County mom accused of kidnapping found in North Carolina
U.S. marshals said Thursday that authorities found a missing Boone County child in North Carolina and arrested the child’s mother.
The U.S. Marshals Service said authorities found the child in Murphy, N.C., and turned the child over to the Cherokee County Department of Social Services on Wednesday. The child’s mother, Jillanne Pagano, who was charged in May 2018 in Boone County with felony child abduction, was taken into custody by the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office.
The child is identified as Lillianna Pagano in posters distributed online last year by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
Pagano was charged after the child’s father was granted custody in December 2016 but Pagano could not be found, the marshals said in a news release. According to a probable cause statement, Lillianna Pagano’s father, William Tyler Bozeman had not seen her or Jillanne Pagano since around August 10, 2013.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol investigated the case and contacted the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children in April for help, according to the news release. Marshals assigned to the center then contacted local deputies to join the investigation.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children used technology to create an image of what Lillianna Pagano may look like.
“In the case of the Pagano investigation, obviously there had been some time that had elapsed from the pictures that we originally see that were sent out on the NCMEC. But those staff members were able to create an enhanced and idealist image of Lillianna at the age of seven,” said Mike Valentine from the U.S. Marshals Office.
Investigators “developed information” Wednesday indicating Pagano was in North Carolina and deputies found her and the child leaving a residence there, the marshals service said.
Derrick Palmer, Cherokee County Sheriff, deputies stopped a vehicle whose driver matched Jillanne’s Pagano’s description. The driver had information about her whereabouts.
When deputies arrived, Jillanne Pagano tried to flee with her daughter.
“So they went out to the house where she was reported to be living with the child. When they got to the house they noticed a female and a small child leaving out the back of the house out the back door going to a wooded area,” Palmer said.
Pagano remained in the Cherokee County Jail on Thursday. The Boone County Sheriff’s Department has filed paperwork to extradite Pagano from North Carolina to Missouri, according to online court records.
It is not clear if Lillianna Pagano has been returned to Boone County.
