Woman who survived ‘one of the world’s rarest crimes’ reveals how she escaped fetal abduction attempt

A woman has recalled surviving a suspected attempted fetal abduction after someone she believed to be her friend committed an unthinkable act.

In 2011, Angelique Robledo, from the US, was 18 years old and expecting her first child with her boyfriend Josh, 21, when she first met Kassandra Toruga.

Kassandra was the same age as Angelique, and said she was also pregnant with her own first child, so the two women bonded over their shared experience, with Angelique saying 'we can get through this together'.

"We’d spend hours together chatting about baby names and picking out items for our new arrivals," Angelique, now 29, wrote for the New York Post in 2022.

Angelique didn't see Kassandra for several weeks, and was surprised when she saw her at six months pregnant, but seemingly not showing at all. Curious about this, Angelique mentioned it to her mum, who said that everyone is different when expecting, and some show more than others.

But it was when Kassandra arrived with gifts at Angelique's home in February of 2011 after missing her baby shower when she began to feel uneasy.

The moment Angelique felt she and her unborn child were in danger

"She said, 'I'm going to go behind you and drop the presents into your lap, one by one.' I thought it was weird, but I went along with it," Angelique recalled.

"There was a newborn onesie, a receiving blanket, little booties. a pacifier, but just one of everything."

She recalled how Kassandra had been behaving strangely, and invited her into her room saying she had 'one last present' for her, and telling her to 'turn around and close your eyes'.

Angelique described being 'seized by the horrible feeling that I was in danger', and went back downstairs.

She had also noticed candles she had lit going out while smelling burning, and Kassandra then came down with her pants wet, claiming her waters had broken. But later, she backtracked and said she had wet herself, and called her husband to pick her up.

'I think she was going to hurt me'

When she went back into the room, Angelique saw the candle was again out, but a pile of her clothes were on fire.

When emergency services arrived, the women were given oxygen, while Kassandra went to hospital for a checkup - which is where it was confirmed that she wasn't actually pregnant.

It also emerged that she had a documented history of schizophrenia.

Angelique recalled telling her family: “I think she was going to hurt me."

The expectant mum then checked Kassandra's bag, thinking that if she found a gift in there from Kassandra this would reassure her. Instead, she was horrified to pull out 'two butcher’s knives, scissors, a nappy and baby clothes'.

Maricopa police arrested Kassandra after she admitted that she set fire to Angelique's bedroom because 'she wanted to steal her friend's child' - a rare crime known as fetal abduction.

Kassandra Toruga's charges and prison sentence

Despite facing charges of attempted murder, arson and burglary charges, a court in Arizona decided against pursuing the charge of attempted murder.

Pinal County Attorney’s Office spokesman Kostas Kalaitzidis said: “The Grand Jury looks at both the recommendations and what charges they believe can be successfully prosecuted."

Kassandra would go on to plead guilty by reason of insanity to attempted arson in February 2012, and was given a sentence of seven and a half years in a secure mental health facility.

She was released in August of 2019, when Angelique's son, Ryland, was eight or nine years old.

'It's so important to trust your mother's intuition'

Over a decade on, Angelique still struggles with PTSD, but she's 'so grateful every day for my beautiful family'.

"I now share my story to show people that it’s so important to trust your mother’s intuition," she concluded.

"If I hadn’t, my precious son and I might not be alive today."