place you're reporting an emergency um I
suppose so yes what are you reporting um
my I was just at the Michaels here in
caluma and a couple tried to kidnap my
children what the best description you
canall I mean this and the nice they're
just kind of rough looking are you or
your husband I mean like important
people for some reason is there
something that they would be like were
going to take your kids and hold them a
ransom might be bu my kids are very good
looking I don't know it's hard I want to
like be no I really do want to be 100%
sure cuz I do not want to
falsely anything um I don't want to
misrepresent what has happened I do
think it's important for Mom parents to
be aware but I don't like it makes me a
little uneasy that you guys are getting
blown up about this Katie Sorenson an
aspiring mom fluenc calls 911 to report
every parents worst nightmare as her
follower count skyrockets the community
grows out raged and investigators are
placed under immense pressure to quickly
solve the case but as they dig further
into the investigation they soon find
that something isn't quite right with
Katie's story and what they discover
turns out to be almost as shocking as
the report itself on December 14th 2020
in Petaluma California Katie senson made
this call to 911 see reporting an
emergency um I suppose so yes what are
you reporting um my I was just at the
Michaels here in caluma and a couple
tried to kidnap my children tell me
exactly what happened we pulled into
Michael's we're getting out of the car
and a couple was parked in front of us
they followed us into the store followed
us throughout the store followed us
through checkout we're on the phone
right behind us I heard them making
comments about my children's hair color
and eyes and I thought it was just a be
light um I out to my car there's a large
white vanand there were two people who
did this yes it was a couple but then
there was a third person that was in the
white van let me get your name and phone
number okay my name is
Ka okay I've got an officer he's gonna
go check the the parking lot Michael see
if we can locate that van after
receiving this unnerving 911 call
officer McGovern and his trainee meet
Katie outside of the police station to
get her story starting with how the
couple had supposedly followed her and
her two young children into the store
from the parking lot they were kind of
suspicious they were watching me I took
a while to get out of the car cuz I had
a stroller they followed me throughout
the entire store every aisle I went down
not in line right behind me we're
talking on the phone and they were say I
wasn't listening to everything they said
but they did say blonde hair blueeyed
boy girl they were talking about my kids
I think okay the lady in front of me
could kind of sense they were being off
they were just getting really close and
just kind of saying weird things okay
and then um she let me get in front of
her I checked out um they should have
taken a while cuz they were another
person behind me yeah although Katie
might not realize it what she tells the
officer next will later come back to
haunt her as her story hinges on this
one unsettling detail they must have put
their stuff down they just followed me
right out to the car I called my husband
and we have a code word so I said it and
he's just stayed on the phone with me
until I got the kids out they were
walking in circles around my car first
and then as I was buckling my daughter
in they came up to the stroller did one
circle around the stroller saw that I
was watching them and I was too I don't
know why I got too scared to say
something to them so I saw an old man
behind them and he was looking and we
just made eye contact I said excuse me
could you help me lift this and him and
he was an older man so he must had a
caretaker or something they both came
over and helped me and stayed with me
and I left as if this isn't terrifying
enough what Katie describes next is like
something out of a horror film and then
so where did the people go um so they
got into their car there oh this was
another big part when I walked up I knew
what was happening because there was a
white van parked right next to my car
with the slider door right close so they
could them put them in that white van
okay that's my assumption um so the only
thing You' heard them say is possibly a
description of your two kids or you and
your two kids yeah that's the only thing
that was weird that then they were
circling my stroller and the car van
that was parked wasn't their vehicle
they were in a different one okay um and
so whoever was in the van he got out and
then as those people were walking over
to me he got back in and I made eye
contact with him and he and he was the
guy with the rimmed glasses that you
described did they but so outside of
proximity did they communicate with each
other you just assuming they were I'm
just assuming they were when asked for a
description of the couple's car Katie
tells the officer that she could make
out much due to the glare of the sun
however she was able to see that it was
a four-door compact vehicle that was
dark and color Katie was however able to
get a good look at the couple if you
were presented photos of any of these
people would you be able to recognize
them yes just cuz I was looking at them
cuz I I was trying to disregard my
feelings and trying to make conversation
maybe I was just being crazy so I kept
looking right at them to see if they
would talk to me and they wouldn't I
what the descriptions of the two
females were the two ladies no it was a
male and a female were the two people
following you uh the male and the female
were two people following okay so what
the best description you can recall um
the male was he had darker skin tone uh
maybe Hispanic wearing a black hoodie
that said black lives matters and had
like a graffiti all around it um The
Mask he was wearing was one of those
pull kind of well no it's just a
pullover like a like a yeah okay yeah I
don't know if that's helpful um yeah
like a call Gator Gator he had a shaved
head describe to a female again um she
was uh Caucasian had reddish hair but it
was more of like box dyed it wasn't
natural red um she had on a blue mask
that had some sports team I didn't see
the
logo
um I don't recall what she was wearing
okay so blue mask red hair I mean that
stand out yeah I mean this and the nice
they're just kind of rough looking like
I don't know how I thought that's fine
yeah in a video posted to her Instagram
page Katie would later describe what
happened and what she thought of their
appearance Monday of this week my
children were the targets of attempted
kidnap I definitely felt the heie gbi I
didn't feel good but I thought I was
judging a book by its cover um they were
not like kind
that sounds bad but they weren't um they
weren't cleancut individuals with a
description of the couple now
established officer McGovern searches
for a possible motive um and they were
on the phone with somebody making the
giving the descriptions I don't know if
they were on the phone I didn't turn
around to see if they were talking I
just heard and it didn't it was very
weird context like it didn't uh and then
I guess are are you or your husband I
mean like important people for some some
reason is there something that they
would be like we going to take your kids
and hold them a ransom I might be my
kids are very goodl looking I don't know
but I um I don't know my my son has
special needs so he's non-verbal okay
but I mean as far as someone like
seeking out us no yeah um have has
anything like this happened in the past
no okay um oh that's bizarre um and
these people you said they look rough
looking and your children
are this didn't seem like a recruiter or
something for like a modeling agency
they weren't like two very attractive
kids and were anything they would have
said something to you most likely just
just try Okay as Katie continues to
reveal more and more disturbing elements
of her story officer McGovern tries to
piece together some other key details
obviously the the suspicious behavior is
super weird the fact that they circled
your car circled the stroller is bizarre
I mean we can I don't necessarily know
if it meets the criteria of like
attempted kidnapping um
I don't care to Cress I'm not I just
want to make it people aware so that it
doesn't happen to someone else is all
yeah clearly and that's why we have like
three people circling the shopping
centers over there like what the heck's
going on um and then again associating
the two different Vehicles that's just
based on a hunch that you think they
were associated okay all right not a
problem but the gentleman in the van
aside from making eye them didn't appear
to interact with anybody
not I was so I was on the phone with my
husband like just freaking out so I
didn't really pay attention to that I
was just trying to get us safe in the
car what yeah what uh I mean and again
you guys obviously have your standard
operating procedure I've never heard of
families having a safe word like that
what what what made you set that up we
listen to True cry podcast okay which is
silly but we just always decided that if
it was more of if you were in trouble
like yourself so he didn't even know
what I was talking about I was like wait
you're what's going on aren't you at
Michael's yeah and then I was like I
think someone's following us got it so
okay as the interview comes to a close
officer McGovern informs Katie of the
next steps before they part ways we'll
keep looking for him and again we'll put
a Bo out most likely for I mean it's a
dark colored compact with a possible
male Hispanic and then the description a
white female adult with red hair and a
blue mask um just to at least contact
and sort it out out but again criminally
it's going to be tough to string
together what we got so okay well sorry
that happened to you today that's a very
rare occurrence especially since I mean
you said there a lot of people at
Michaels it's weird that they would have
been that you know forthcoming so it was
very weird and like I said we Listen to
Crime podcast so I try to like not go
there but it was that yeah so all right
I'll let you guys I'll let you guys get
out of here all right well have a have a
better day um we'll look for these
people okay okay thank you so much not a
problem yeah
on December 13th 6 days after speaking
to officer McGovern Katie posts a
two-part video to Instagram recounting
her petrifying experience that day soon
the videos go viral receiving more than
4 million views and Katie's follower
count leaps from about 3,000 to over
880,000 followers in just one
day Katie's story is particularly
concerning for residents of Petaluma as
the city is home to one of America's
most notorious child abductions the
kidnap and murder of 12-year-old poly
class in
1993 pretty soon worried parents began
calling the Petaluma Police Department
and the following day on December 14th
officer McGovern along with Detective
jger head to Katie's house to confront
her with some surprising new
developments so it sounds like the the
initial statement you officer McGovern
was a lot different than what you had
posted on Instagram and that's why we're
here okay um because what you posted on
Instagram is pretty concerning to us so
if we need if they're if this couple is
out there attempting to steal children
right we need we need to get all the
details that we can yes so we uh we were
able to go to Michael's today and pull
up the video surveillance spage from
that um so there's just some clarifying
stuff that um so I want to show you a
couple photos just to make sure we're
talking about the same people if you're
willing to look them of
course yes
after positively identifying the couple
detective joer presents Katie with her
findings subsequently flipping the
investigation into the attempted
kidnapping on its head so on the video
footage
um this couple actually is in the
strugle for for about five
minutes both of them yeah and so we
watched them um we watched them through
on the video footage throughout the
store and and they're not fall
that you guys just happen the only time
you guys come back together is it when
you're and checking out they come back
they actually have PR items with them
um
so before we before we l their photos
out right to the media to be on the I
want to make sure that you're you're
accurate and I'm not I'm not dis Harding
what you're telling me I just want to
make sure that because what you're
telling us and what we're seeing from
the video surveils they don't match I
think this is I'm so glad that this
happened I think this is an important
piece I think I don't know if you were
the officer I can't remember okay that's
why I'm here okay yes um you know I a
lot of work yeah this is my special
needs
but so you when you're in a situation
like that and you're on high alert you
hear you think you're hearing things you
think you know what's happening so this
is an important step that I think awes
so I am not like trying to stick to my
story or whatever like that I no Ian
it's like if these people are out here
doing what you're saying they're doing
that's something for us to address right
um our next step is going forward with
this is um one Prosecuting them right
yeah and two making sure this doesn't
happen again at the same time we need to
make sure that that these people are in
fact the people that you saw and they're
doing what you were saying that they did
cuz nobody wants to accuse somebody
falsely right exactly and that's why I'm
a little discouraged of the fact that
that isn't the same person that I saw in
the parking lot if they were in there
before me okay um so you just looked at
the photo and you said you definitely
I'm 100% sure that's aome okay um
I only thing that sorry I'm can I see go
inside for a minute just a
little than just as the heat is starting
to turn up Katie takes a pause to settle
her son granting her a momentary reprise
from Detective uncomfortable line of
questioning a few moments later Katie's
husband arrives
home Dad I'm
[Music]
assuming very cute kids very they
are KY people are trying to call you I
know you're busy but just I didn't
realize sorry he probably won't leave me
alone so long
so anyway back to this we want to make
sure that because we are going to
pictures on media these the people said
were doing that and they reached for the
stroller and they thought they were
going to kidnapp these are important
yeah important things that we need that
part without a shadow of a doubt that is
what was happening there is no there is
absolutely no Rhyme or Reason to someone
taking steps forward and reaching that
is without a Shadow of Doubt I can see
how the timing of
following um the timing of following in
I can see how that could have been um
misinterpreted um do you remember what
they were saying to you they didn't say
anything to me they were talking about
the ks they were describing their
features okay um and then they said they
made comments about them not wearing a
mask um I didn't listen clearly to
everything that they were saying they
blonde hair blue
eyes it be easy to distract yeah Oney
old yeah they were just saying like
things usually what I was expecting at
first was I thought they were going to
make comment to that my kids very so
that was where my head was at um and so
I wasn't really listening in detail I
just this kid the first time that I
heard him talking at this very moment
Katie has just backtracked on something
she said in one of her Instagram videos
in both encounters with the police Katie
makes it clear that she didn't hear the
man speak much however she told her
followers that after the couple
described her children's features she
claims she then heard the man say the
boy will
be the boy will be easier because he's
not wearing a mask so the mom not must
not really care about him it's hard I
want to like be I really do want to be
100% sure cuz I do not want to falsely
no no no no anything no no as the
awkward conversation continues Katie
finally acknowledges is what brought the
police back to speak with her like this
whole Instagram thing like I had I last
night yesterday had 3,000 followers
mostly friends people I went to school
with like I did not think that this was
going to be anything at all um
um calling us because they live in
because now they're afraid of their
children which is which is one step we
either want to reassure them that this
that we're doing everything we can to
find them yeah or
you know like we're trying to give you
justice and and to do the right thing
here um at the same time there's a lot
of there's a lot of eyeballs
watching so 100% they reached for my
stroller 100% they were saying things
that they shouldn't have been saying
about my kids um 100% they CED my car
the end it should be noted that this is
now the third time Katie has told
officials that the couple circled her
car first to dispatch and her initial
911 call then to officer McGovern when
he met her outside the police station
and now to detective joer despite her
claims that the couple 100% circled her
car she described the incident to her
followers on Instagram differently and
they walk around not the full perimeter
but half of the car they go back and
forth around half of my car they park
closer to Michael you know they had no
reason to go three cars beyond their own
car to walk around my wife's car you
know I mean now that's really um and
that that is of like I will test that is
what happened um one thing that I have
felt like I don't have 100% And when
people ask me I say I don't really know
it's the white van it it very well could
have just been coincidental that someone
was in a van right behind me although
small this is another discrepancy in her
story there was a white van parked right
next to my car perhaps sensing detective
joerger's skepticism Katie's husband
chimes in to back her up you tell them
details like you went to the very back
corner of the store to get your spray
paint and they followed you so they
watched the footage and it this couple
didn't come in it's not the same couple
that came in at the same time these
people that she's saying that followed
her out were already in the store the
four we watch them throughout the store
and they don't come on surveillance they
don't come with anywhere near her until
like everybody's in line and these
people in line
have so that's what we drove out we
trying trying to call her to kind of
clarify of this yeah I'm so sorry the
kids I I really didn't have my and I've
been trying not to look at it cuz it's
too much for me right now yeah yeah I
don't this is all our property so
okay um
so would you recognize these two if you
saw them again if we were to give do a
photo lineup would you recognize them
again yeah okay and um willing to go
forward with
prosecution yes okay all right so what
we're going to do is we're going to work
people we're probably going to put this
out on some social media see if some
people can help us um and then I'll show
M govern will contact you at a later
date when we a lineup maybe come down to
the station to to view that but I don't
want to misrepresent what is happened I
do think it's important for Mom parents
to be aware but I don't like it makes me
a little uneasy that you guys are
getting blown up about this I mean I
think it's important but I also I don't
want to I guess I'm feeling doubt that I
misremembered the story and I don't want
to misrepresent what happened and make
it a bigger I don't know um so for my
personal it's like if I if I am a victim
of something like this I would want to
um trust us right that we're going to do
the right thing I would like to trust
the police department that we're going
to do the right thing I don't know if
and this is just me I don't know if I
would want my stuff blasted over may I
mean I don't know how that makes you
feel it would make me feel uneasy yeah
um but it it definitely makes it harder
for us to find them and prosecute them
when it's everywhere yeah um it just
it's kind of like I don't mean to say
this but the OJ Simpson thing it was it
was so blasted everywhere right yeah
they had a hard time finding a town that
they could prosecute it they could get
12 jurries that didn't know anything
about it you know what I mean so this
doesn't help us when it goes out when it
gets blasted like this um and yeah
that's what I don't want I care more
about them not doing this again I care
more about like parents being more aware
but I don't think it's necessary for
everybody to know all the details of uh
everything so I guess that was just you
answer any questions to just keep that
um I did turn off all the comments and
not
accepting after detective jger warns her
of the possible repercussions of posting
more about the case on social media
Katie then goes inside to get her phone
so she can show them a message she
received from someone online telling her
that something similar happened to them
in the Michaels parking lot while the
detective looks at the message officer
McGovern has one more serious issue with
Katie's story to point out as they
prepare to leave so did you go right
from Michaels back to your car yeah the
man did exit the store quickly behind
you but the woman remained in the store
for almost a minute uh chitchatting with
the the clerk they were she was trying
to make a sale she was scanning
something on her phone I'm assuming that
was like a receipt or a coupon yeah so
she remained in the store and was making
transactions that's why I'm trying to
see if if the if if you recall both of
them hand in following you out to their
car at what point they linked back up
the hand inand I didn't visually see
that until they were surrounding walking
around my car so I they weren't walking
hand in hand behind me out of the store
okay um because I was so like just
trying to get to the car I didn't turn
around and look I just felt behind me I
felt yes and then getting to my car and
seeing them do that is so but so the
last time you saw them they were inside
the store and then upon exiting they
were also both together it wasn't just
the guy or just the girl it was both of
them were were linked back up at that
point yeah at the point that I without a
Shadow of Doubt saw them yes together
and they I there is no excuse I would
love to hear if there is a one for
taking a few steps forward towards the
stroller a few steps back a few steps
forward and I saw I saw something he had
something in his hand cuz that was my
first red flag is why are they holding
hands like with what he he was tearing a
phone the whole time he was in the store
so that's probably I don't know why he
would have changed his behavior in the
parking lot okay but that's what he was
and then when she left the store she was
carrying a bag um of belongings but
after this uncomfortable exchange has
concluded detective joerger gives Katie
her card and leaves with officer
McGovern in an effort to corroborate
Katie's story The Petaluma Police
Department issued a press release which
included a photograph of the couple
asking for any one with information to
come forward the couple later identified
as Eddie and Sadie were made aware of
the accusations by their teenage
daughter whose friend recognized them in
the photo the two promptly agreed to an
interview with police and 3 days later
on December 17th it was announced that
stie and Eddie were officially cleared
as suspects and the police were now
investigating
Katie Katie Sorenson was charged with
three counts of falsely reporting a
crime and on June 29th 2023 she was
convicted on one of those counts she was
subsequently ordered to serve 90 days in
jail 60 of which could be served on a
work release program and she was
required to complete a 4-Hour implicit
bias training she was also placed on 12
months of informal probation where she
was prohibited from having a social
media presence and ordered to submit to
warrantless search and seizure of her
electronic devices