Man, mom accused of kidnapping his ex-girlfriend, their baby
Jul 28, 2015, 4:18 PM
Yolanda Gilreath, 51, center, is escorted into the Nassau County police headquarters in Mineola N.Y., Tuesday, July 28, 2015, after she and her son Malachi Blaylock, 20, were arrested on charges they kidnapped Blaylock's former girlfriend and their baby and kept them captive for several days on Long Island. Police said the 20-year-old woman was lured by a text message from Gilreath, the child's grandmother, saying she wanted to see the child. When the woman arrived, police said Blaylock grabbed the child and kept the woman captive, and beat her repeatedly for five days, until she was able to call for help. (AP Photo/Mike Balsamo)
(AP Photo/Mike Balsamo)
MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A man and his mother have been charged with kidnapping his former girlfriend and their infant son and holding them captive for five days, stabbing and beating her before she escaped, police said Tuesday.
The 20-year-old ex-girlfriend was lured to a home by a text message from Yolanda Gilreath, who’s the baby’s grandmother, saying she wanted to see him, Nassau County police Inspector Kenneth Lack said. When the woman arrived, Malachi Blaylock, who’s the boy’s father and Gilreath’s son, grabbed the boy and forced the woman into a bedroom, authorities said.
“It was a horrible experience. She was beaten repeatedly throughout the five days,” Lack said. “She was strangled. She had injuries all over her body, contusions, lacerations. She was beaten with an electrical cord. She was stabbed in the hand with scissors.”
He said detectives suspect the 20-year-old Blaylock came up with the kidnapping plot because he wanted to see his 11-month-old son and was angry because he suspected his ex-girlfriend was in a relationship with another man.
The ex-girlfriend showed up at the Rockville Centre home on July 20. Court papers say Blaylock held a gun to the woman’s head and threatened to shoot her in the head during her captivity.
Lack said the woman tried to escape three times but was unsuccessful. Blaylock’s sister tried to call 911 on Wednesday, but her brother allegedly snatched the phone away, Lack said.
Blaylock and his mother then allegedly forced the woman into a car and drove her to a home in Hempstead. When the woman was left alone with the child and a tablet Friday night, she was able to call her mother, who went to the home and picked her up, authorities said. Police said it was unclear who owned that home.
Lack said the woman wouldn’t leave her baby alone during the encounter. The baby was not injured.
The woman went to a Brooklyn hospital Saturday and reported the kidnapping to police Sunday.
“The grandmother was an evil woman,” Lack said. “She never tried to call the police. She was an accomplice.”
As the 51-year-old Gilreath was led out of police headquarters Tuesday, she told reporters: “She wasn’t kidnapped,” apparently referring to her son’s ex-girlfriend.
Gilreath and Blaylock both pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon to kidnapping, unlawful imprisonment, assault and other charges.
Blaylock’s attorney, Oscar Holt, said his client denies the incident occurred. He said Blaylock “is being falsely accused” and claims the woman “freely, willingly and voluntarily” went to the apartment.
“It just never happened,” he said of the allegations.
Gilreath’s lawyer did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment.
At Blaylock’s arraignment Tuesday, Assistant District Attorney Alexandra Eisman said the victim had also been starved and drugged during the ordeal. Police said he had been arrested before, but the cases were sealed.
Police said Blaylock had been arrested before, but the cases were sealed.
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