SOUTHPORT, NY (CortacaToday) – A 37-year-old woman awaits extradition to Chemung County on a kidnapping charge.

On Tuesday, October 1, 2024, sheriff’s deputies responded to a report of a missing 14-year-old female in Southport. Investigators say the teen snuck out of her parent’s home and got into a vehicle with two people heading south.

Authorities determined the person driving that vehicle was Leann Sherbert, of Woodruff, South Carolina, who traveled to New York with her 15-year-old son, allegedly to bring the Southport girl back with them. The two teens had been communicating through social media for several months. Through cooperation with the State Police, Amber Alert, and the Violent Criminal Apprehension Program, investigators determined the group were indeed heading back to South Carolina.

The trio were located at a rest stop in Virgina, where the 14-year-old girl was recovered safely by the August County Sheriff’s Office. Sherbert was taken into custody, and her son was turned over to August County Child Protective Services for placement.

Sherbert faces felony kidnapping in Chemung County at a later date.