Sentencing Delayed for Woman Who Stole Baby in Alleged $500,000 Adoption Deal

Kingston, Jamaica — The sentencing of Anneisha Ramsay, who pleaded guilty to child stealing after allegedly agreeing to adopt a five-week-old baby for $500,000, has been postponed to March 19 due to the unavailability of a social inquiry report.

Ramsay, who pleaded guilty last month, appeared in the Home Circuit Court on Thursday for sentencing. However, with the report still pending, the court rescheduled the hearing and extended her bail.

The case dates back to October 13, 2019, when baby Nyyear Frank was taken from his mother while she was walking along Rousseau Road in St Andrew. Reports indicate that men forced the mother into a vehicle before taking the infant and later releasing her.

Months later, on January 22, 2020, authorities found the baby in Ramsay’s care at a house in Hopewell, St Andrew. She was arrested and subsequently charged.

Court documents reveal that Ramsay had prior contact with the individual who provided her with the baby. Allegedly, she was led to believe that she would only need to provide financial assistance to the infant’s mother in exchange for the child. However, by October 2019, she was reportedly informed that the arrangement would cost $500,000, with a payment plan to be arranged.

Ramsay’s former attorney, Davion Vassell, argued that she was unaware of any financial arrangement and that she had recently suffered a miscarriage, leaving her emotionally vulnerable.

“She started to post a lot of sad things on her WhatsApp stories, and one day, when she posted a picture of a mother releasing balloons to the heavens to represent her baby, a friend of hers messaged to ask what was wrong,” Vassell explained.

According to him, Ramsay confided in the friend about her grief and depression, leading the friend to offer a connection to someone willing to give up their baby for adoption. Two months later, she was reportedly contacted again and told a baby was available. Days later, the infant was handed over to her.

However, the prosecution rebutted this claim, citing a statement from Ramsay in which she acknowledged being informed of the payment arrangement before the baby was delivered.

Now represented by attorney-at-law Kayon Atkinson, Ramsay awaits her sentencing, which will determine the legal consequences of her involvement in the baby’s abduction. The court will consider the circumstances surrounding her actions, her psychological state, and the level of intent behind her decision to take the child.