A Canadian woman was arrested after allegedly breaking into a home of a mom she had met on Facebook and blasting everyone inside with bear spray — in order to abduct an eight-day-old boy, police said Monday.
Nicole Shanks, 32, was hit with a slew of charges, including abduction, assault, breaking and entering and weapon possession, in the horrifying Mother’s Day incident in Ottawa.
Police said Shanks met the victim through a Facebook group for new mothers and obtained her address on the pretense that she had won a prize, local outlet Global News reported.
Shanks dropped off the gift basket on Friday — before returning Sunday at around 1:40 p.m. and allegedly forcing her way inside the house.
After unleashing bear repellent on the occupants, Shanks allegedly grabbed the newborn and ran off, cops said.
Neighbors who noticed the commotion chased the accused baby-snatcher and detained her until officers arrived.
The new mom wrote in a Facebook post that Shanks claimed the infant was actually hers, CTV News reported.
“[S]he bear maced me in the face and screamed that I stole her baby,” the woman wrote. “She took my son and ran off with him and my neighbour took off and thankfully got him back unharmed.”
The victim warned others not to be so quick to trust people on social media.
“Not everyone has good intentions,” she wrote. “Today I almost lost my son and I’m so grateful my kids are okay.”
Shanks, who had used her real name and picture on Facebook, was remanded in custody during a court appearance on Monday.
Her next hearing is scheduled for Friday.