Woman Abducted Child In Front Of Clinic To Prevent Vaccination: Police

NEW HOPE, MN — The Hennepin County Sheriff's Office is searching for a New Hope mom who abducted her daughter to prevent the child from being vaccinated, according to authorities.

The woman lost her parental rights after a previous incident, and her ex-husband has legal custody of the child, according to authorities. However, the mother and child's whereabouts are unknown, investigators said.

Deanne S. Konz, 47, was charged Tuesday with two counts of parental rights crimes:

• Charge: Deprive-Custody/Parent Rights-Violation Court Order -Take Minor
• Charge: Deprive Another-Cust/Parental Rights-Conceal Minor

If convicted, Konz faces up to two years in prison and a $4,000 fine.

Earlier in October, officers received a report of an abducted child from Brooklyn Center, according to the criminal complaint.

The incident happened while the father was taking his 9-year-old daughter to a Health Partners clinic to get vaccinated, authorities said.

The father needs to be transported by a Metro Mobility bus, according to the criminal complaint.

When the father and daughter arrived on the bus at Health Partners, the father had to be "unloaded," investigators said. While this happened, the father watched as his daughter entered a Honda Pilot, according to the criminal complaint. The father was unable to intervene, authorities said.

The man's ex-wife drives a Honda Pilot, according to the criminal complaint.

Before the October incident, Konz was already facing a felony charge of deprivation of parental rights for taking the child in order to avoid vaccinations, authorities said.

Konz believes she is saving the child's life by preventing vaccinations, according to investigators.