Federal Kidnapping

According to the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and Fort Lauderdale law enforcement, a woman suspected of kidnapping her two young daughters was arrested in Tamarac today. Police contend that Tammy Kong-Kham, 35, abducted her daughters from their foster home in Pennsylvania two months ago. Kong-Kham allegedly brought the two girls to Broward County, where they had been hiding and scavenging for food in the area. Broward criminal lawyer William Moore has been following the case.

Police say that Kong-Kham abandoned her 10-year-old daughter Kelley. The child was found by a detective with the Fort Lauderdale police department as she was begging for food at the Galleria Mall almost two weeks ago. Kelley led police to the insect-infested area near the beach where she had previously stayed with her younger sister and mother in a whole dug into the sand under park equipment. The mother and younger child were long gone.

Kong-Kham and her 8-year-old daughter, Kimberly, were located at a Fort Lauderdale shopping center. A code enforcement officer, who was previously a career police officer and detective in another state, recognized the pair from reading the news. He saw the mother and daughter behind a building, apparently searching for food, and noted the insect bites on the girl’s legs.

The code enforcement official contacted authorities; Broward County Sheriff’s deputies responded, taking the mother and 8-year-old into custody. Officials had been concerned about the safety of the girls, citing the mother’s apparent instability. Kong-Kham and the girls had been living off of food they were able to scavenge, coconuts, and water. Kong-Kham abandoned Kelley, the 10-year-old, when she concluded that she could not care for both girls.

During the two month search, south Florida authorities received numerous tips regarding the location of Kong-Kham and her daughters, mostly in Broward County. The day before she was arrested, a tipster notified police that Kong-Kham was at a flea market north of Fort Lauderdale.

Kelley and Kimberly’s parents divorced. Initially, the two girls lived with their mother, but Kong-Kham did not send them to school. As a result, the girls were placed in foster care. Disguised in a blonde wig, Kong-Kham took the girls just before they entered school in October. They were last seen in the Philadelphia area getting on a Greyhound bus.

Fort Lauderdale criminal attorney William Moore has experience in a wide range of criminal defense situations. An arrest can damage all aspects of your life, including your employment prospects and custody and visitation of your children. If you have been charged with a crime in Florida, contact William Moore, P.A., which is an experienced Fort Lauderdale criminal law firm with offices in Fort Lauderdale-Dade, Broward, and Fort Lauderdale Counties.

This article should be used for informational purposes only and should not be construed as legal advice.