Massachusetts woman accused of fleeing with her kidnapped child captured by authorities

The U.S. Marshals Service Puerto Rico Violent Offenders Task Force, acting on a lead from the District of Massachusetts, apprehended Tuesday a woman wanted in Massachusetts on charges of kidnapping and endangering a minor by a relative. 

Danielle Andrews, 47, of Rockland, Massachusetts, is alleged to have committed parental kidnapping after being ordered by the court Sept. 6 to relinquish her parental rights to another relative after prosecutors in Massachusetts raised serious concerns about the child’s safety and well-being following a series of troubling events involving Andrews. 

After the court’s ruling, Andrews fled to Puerto Rico with the child, leaving her other children behind in Massachusetts. Prosecutors demanded her return to face criminal charges, but Andrews refused to comply.

The child was recovered in Carolina, Puerto Rico, by the PRVOTF with the help of the Bayamon Municipal Police. Both Andrews and the child were located at the home of the child’s paternal grandmother. The child has been placed under the custody of the local Department of Family Services. Andrews is now in custody at the Puerto Rico Police Department’s Extradition office, awaiting further legal proceedings in the United States.

“We want to let our communities know that this significant arrest is another example of the results we can obtain from a coordinated collaboration with state agencies and demonstrates the commitment of the men and women of the U.S. Marshals Service to bring these fugitives to justice,” said U.S. Marshal for the District of Puerto Rico Wilmer Ocasio-Ibarra. “All our cases are important, but those against children are of the upmost priority for our personnel. We will continue to be vigilant against any criminal who evades justice and tries to hide so as not to assume his or her responsibility. Our commitment to our citizens comes first and we will allocate all necessary resources to make our communities safe, maintaining a quality of life that we all deserve in Puerto Rico.”

The U.S. Marshals Service encourages the community to continue to collaborate with deputies on tips that help find the whereabouts of a fugitive by contacting their local office at (787) 766-6297, calling the U.S. Marshals Service Communication Center at 1 (800) 336-0102, or submitting tips using the USMS Tips App.