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Mom arrested in child abduction case 40 years later
Michelle Newton – born in 1983 – reportedly vanished out of Louisville, Ky. when she was three years old. On April 2, 1983, Newton's mother, Debra, claimed she was relocating for a job. Both the mom and daughter vanished. In November, deputies located Debra based off a Crime Stoppers tip and arrested her.
THE VILLAGES, Fla. - A three-year-old girl who went missing from Kentucky was found under a new name and in a different state 40 years later.
Michelle Newton – born in 1983 – reportedly vanished out of Louisville, Ky. when she was three years old.
The backstory:
On April 2, 1983, Newton's mother, Debra, claimed she was relocating for a job. Both the mom and daughter vanished.
Debra was indicted for custodial interference and was wanted on an FBI Unlawful Flight to Avoid Prosecution. At one point, Debra was on the FBI's Top 8 Most Wanted parental-kidnapping fugitives.
After the case was dismissed in 2000 due to not being able to reach Michelle's father, Michelle was removed from the missing-child database in 2005. The case was re-indicted in 2016, after a family member asked detectives to re-examine the case.
In 2025, detectives received a breakthrough with a Crime Stoppers tip. A tip identified Debra Newton as a 66-year-old woman in Marion County living as "Sharon." She had remarried, built a new life and had retired to The Villages with her husband. A photo and DNA match collected from Debra's sister confirmed "Sharon" was Debra Newton.
During this time, Michelle – after discovering her true family history, deputies said, – contacted the sheriff's office. She had been living under a different identity in a different state, deputies said.
Michelle told deputies she didn't realize she was a victim.
Michelle reunited with her father and extended relatives.
What we know:
Marion County deputies arrived at a home in November in The Villages to arrest Debra Newton, who was identified as "Sharon." She was walking her dog and talking with her neighbor when deputies arrived and arrested her.
Debra Newton, 66, was arrested for a 40-year case connected to kidnapping.
Debra repeated to her neighbor, deputies and later, her husband, who came out of the house to get the dog, that she didn't do anything, deputy body camera footage shows.
Newton was extradited to Kentucky, where she faces a custodial interference felony offense, which carries no statute of limitations.
The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office said the case advanced because one person made a single, crucial call.
"People think calling in tips is ‘snitching.’ It isn’t," Col. Healey said. "You’re helping victims. You’re helping families. This case proves that one phone call can change a life."
The Source: Information in this story was sourced from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office in Louisville, KY.