Kendra Meaker appeared before a judge in Stark County, Illinois on Friday, September 28th. The 19-year-old mother is charged with obstructing justice and endangering the life and health of her own child on Thursday, September 27th.
Sheriff Jimmie Dison says Meaker then drove to the Stark County Jail and told police her daughter was taken, which resulted in an Amber Alert being issued statewide.
"She probably felt like she had no other choice," says Tina Dennison, whose neighbor knows Meaker. "She may have been trying to figure out something else and in desperation maybe this is what happened."
Tina also wonders if this was all caused by postpartum depression or something worse.
"[She's a] young mother [with] two young children," says Tina. "I wished she would have reached out in a better way. There's other ways to handle this."