Mother of baby reported missing from Asheville charged with attempted murder

Krista Noelle Madden, 35, of Asheville, was being held under $750,000 bond.

Around 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Asheville police received a 911 call about the kidnapping of an infant and her mother, deputy police chief Jim Baumstark said. While state law protects the identity of 911 callers, officials said that Madden did not make the 911 call.

Officers tracked Madden's cellphone to eastern Henderson County and requested help from the Henderson County Sheriff's Office.

Around 5:40 p.m., Henderson County authorities got a 911 call about an abandoned vehicle on a remote gravel drive, Sheriff Lowell Griffin said Friday. The vehicle was confirmed to be Madden's.

Investigators then found Madden at Barnwell Baptist Church in Edneyville. Madden told investigators that she had escaped two kidnappers. She was taken to the sheriff's office for an interview and to ensure she was safe.

At 7:52 p.m., a family called 911 saying that an infant had been found in a ravine with a car seat.

The infant was the 7-week-old, named Shaylie.

Griffin didn't say whether Madden admitted to leaving Shaylie.

“I don’t want to get into all the details because this investigation is still ongoing,” he said. “But she did provide enough information about her involvement that gave us the probable cause that, working in conjunction with the district attorney as we made contact and came to the conclusion that we would move ahead with the attempted murder charge.”

He said investigators believe Madden acted alone.

Griffin said the infant was taken to a hospital and was in good condition.

He said investigators had "no reason to believe" that kidnappers were involved.

Griffin said a woman was checking her mail when she heard "the faint cries of an infant." She called her husband, who went down a 75-foot ravine and found the baby.

The baby was out of the car seat when she was discovered, Griffin said, but investigators believe she was thrown over a bank while in the car seat. When the car seat hit the ground, the baby likely rolled out of the car seat, Griffin said.

He said the baby's discovery was, "simply, in my opinion, by the grace of a merciful God."

"It's by the grace of God that we're standing here with a child that's been discovered and is alive," he said.

Madden's first court appearance is scheduled for Friday.