A bizarre and disturbing scene unfolded at a church day care in Oklahoma City last week when an attorney allegedly tried to take off with a 2-year-old girl, later telling investigators she was “sent by God to be with the children.”
Tracy Zahl, 49, has been charged with kidnapping after the July 23 incident at Westminster Presbyterian Church Child Care Center. According to a probable cause affidavit obtained by Law&Crime, Zahl entered the facility through an unlocked door and made her way downstairs to a classroom—without permission or any known connection to the children.
Witnesses say Zahl approached a toddler and encouraged her to “come out of the classroom and follow her.” Thankfully, a quick-thinking teacher intervened, grabbed the child, and demanded that Zahl leave. But the situation didn’t end there.
Zahl reportedly continued wandering the church until she came across a group of children walking in a line. She inserted herself among them, telling staff, “I’m going with them.” One teacher, thinking she might be a volunteer, allowed her to accompany the group to another classroom—where Zahl allegedly sat down at a table with multiple children.
When confronted again, Zahl allegedly said she had been “sent by God to be with the children.” Staff demanded she leave the property, and this time she complied. But not before a staffer jotted down part of her license plate.
Police later tracked Zahl to her home, located less than a mile from the church. According to KFOR, Zahl admitted to police that she had no legitimate reason to be at the day care and acknowledged she had made a mistake. She also admitted she has no children or grandchildren enrolled at the facility.
Officers arrested Zahl and booked her into the Oklahoma County Jail, where she remains on a $30,000 bond. She has not yet secured legal representation, according to court records.
This isn’t Zahl’s first run-in with the law. The Oklahoma Bar Association had previously disciplined her for forging a prescription, and in 2021 she was arrested for allegedly threatening to kill a coworker.
The incident has left many parents shaken—and raises serious concerns about day care security and mental health.
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Author: What’s Up Team
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