Grandmother Claims She Threw Missing Toddler Into River in a Murder-Suicide Attempt
Police believe Acacia Bishop drowned, but the one-year-old’s family says her mentally ill grandmother paid somebody to keep her.
On May 25, 2003, Linda Lodmell supervised a visitation between her daughter, 38-year-old Kelly Jean Lodmell, and her great-granddaughter, 19-month-old Acacia Patience Bishop, in her Salt Lake City home in Utah.
Kelly was not allowed to see her granddaughter alone because she had once taken her without permission and hid her in a basement.
Around 6 PM, Kelly took advantage of her mother leaving the room for a moment and abducted the toddler. Linda recalled,
“I asked my husband where is Acacia do you have her in the living room and he says no. And I go ‘oh no, Kelly took the baby.’”
Kelly had a history of substance abuse and had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. She occasionally lived on the streets or in her car and only took medication when she could afford it.
The woman had a criminal record for petty charges, including drunk driving, making threats with a weapon, and disorderly conduct. She had also spent sixty days in jail for aggravated assault after shooting a child with a pellet gun.
