A Washington woman accused of posing as a photographer and drugging a woman in an attempt to steal her baby claims she is innocent.
According to Komo News, Juliette Parker, 38, entered a not guilty plea at the Pierce County Superior Court. Both Pierce and her 16-year-old daughter were arrested Friday at their home in Spanaway. Parker previously posted a $50,000 bond after her arrest but the judge raised the bond to $150,000 after considering the safety of the children involved.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, Parker and her daughter were detained last week on suspicion of kidnapping and assault.
Parker allegedly posted internet advertisements as a photographer and offered to take photos of newborns for free so she could expand her portfolio, according to the Pierce County Sheriff’s Office.
In a February 5 photo session, Parker and her daughter visited the mother of a 3-week-old girl and offered her cupcake, according to police. The victim said she ate the treat and then felt drowsy and numb, at which point she asked Parker and her daughter to leave.
The victim, identified as Elysia Miller, soon noticed that her keys were missing, so she called 911 to report being drugged. The victim said Parker photographed herself with the baby. She noticed that Parker had wiped down items she had touched in the home.
“I’m super spacey, like it’s hard to talk and my hand, my feet and my arms are super numb. I feel like my breathing is jacked and I’ve puked like 5 times now,” Miller told 911.
Although she fled without the infant, police alleged that Parker wanted a new baby to raise as her own, and the drugging the victim was part of her botched attempt to steal the woman’s newborn.
Court documents indicate that the suspect asked a male friend where to get the “date rape drug” GHB. Parker allegedly told the friend that she needed it to steal a baby.
Since her arrest, according to CBS News, over 10 people claim Parker visited them at their homes to take photos while she posed as a professional photographer. Investigators said Parker was likely was searching for the perfect baby to steal, but it had to be a girl.
“She wanted a girl,” Ed Troyer of the Pierce County Sheriff’s Department said. “She wanted them five weeks and younger so she could raise it herself, take it out of state and pretend it was a newborn of her own.”
Victoria Morris, a woman who met Parker on Facebook, said the alleged fake photographer had been to her home several times while she was still pregnant, and was supposed to be at the hospital with her when she gave birth. On the same day she delivered her baby, however, Parker was arrested.
“I’m really upset and scared because she had my address and has been in my home,” Parke told Good Morning America.
Authorities said numerous other women invited Parker into their home after she advertised on social media to take free photographs of newborns to build her portfolio. Parker rejected at least one woman, Amanda Appling, because she had an infant son.
“She informed me she wasn’t looking for a boy but she’d save his picture and let me know if she was looking for a little boy to do photos with,” Appling told GMA.
Authorities say Parker had other aliases, including “Juliette Noel” and “Juliette Gains.”
Parker previously lived in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where she unsuccessfully ran for mayor in April 2019, according to the Colorado Springs Gazette. During her campaign, she advocated for affordable housing and helping the homeless.
She told the Gazette that she had spent most of her life in Texas and Washington.
Parker was released from jail on Sunday evening after making a $50,000 bond. It’s unclear what Parker’s daughter has been charged with, but both mother and daughter are scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
Check back for updates.
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[Feature Photo: Juliette Parker: Police Handout]
*Additional reporting by Jonathan Anderson*
