DETROIT, MI – In a harrowing case of alleged kidnapping, a Detroit woman is facing trial accused of orchestrating the abduction of two 14-day-old infants. Shantell Re-Azia Jones, 23, is the only adult defendant going to trial, while her co-defendants, Davion Demetrius Sherman Chandler, 20, and Curtis Lee Slay, 18, have accepted plea deals.

Chandler concluded his legal proceedings with a sentence handed down on May 24, mandating three to 15 years of incarceration with 280 days accounted for as time served. Following closely, Slay received the same sentencing terms on Friday. Both men reached their plea agreements in May, pleading to one count of unlawful imprisonment.

The trio, along with an unidentified 16-year-old girl, were initially charged last year with kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, conspiracy, and larceny in a building. Prosecutors assert that the group facilitated Jones’ purported plan to befriend the infants’ mother and subsequently abduct the twins.

The alleged abduction took place on the night of August 20, 2023, at a hotel in Livonia, a suburb of Detroit. According to the authorities, while the mother of the twins stepped out to a vending machine, Jones and the minor accomplice seized the opportunity to take the babies. The panic-stricken mother called 911, leading to an Amber Alert issuance. In a fortunate turn of events, the infants were returned unharmed to Detroit police the next morning.

The Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office has been contacted for an update concerning the juvenile defendant’s case, who faces charges in juvenile court. With her trial set for November, Jones maintains her innocence in a case that has garnered significant attention for its audacity and the involvement of such young alleged conspirators.

As developments continue in this unsettling case, the community eagerly awaits the administration of justice for the young victims and their family.