A couple who abandoned a two-year-old boy at a Goodwill in Mississippi is facing federal kidnapping charges. The FBI says that Jeremy Fitzgerald, 34, and his girlfriend, Turlisca Turner, 29, took the boy, whose name is Sergio, from his mother and drove him from Memphis, Tennessee, to Mississippi.
Prosecutors said that Fitzgerald traveled to Nashville with Sergio's mother, Antoinette Smith, while Turner was supposed to babysit the young boy. Fitzgerald tried to get Smith to work as a prostitute, but when she refused, he left her stranded in Nashville.
Fitzgerald spoke with Smith's sister and demanded money to return Sergio. The next morning, Fitzgerald and Turner left Memphis with the boy and drove to Southaven, Mississippi, where they stopped at a gas station.
Fitzgerald then walked Sergio over to a nearby Goodwill and left him with an employee. Authorities were able to track down the pair later in the day and took them both into custody.
Sergio was taken by Mississippi Child Protective Services and is doing well. It is unclear when he will be reunited with his mother in Tennessee.
The FBI said that Turner and Fitzgerald could face life in prison if convicted on federal kidnapping charges.
Photo: Southaven Police Department