VIDEO | Decades after disappearing with her child, Louisville mom arrested in Florida under fake name
MARION COUNTY, Fla. —
A woman was arrested decades after police say she disappeared with her own child out of Louisville, leaving the child’s father in the dark.
But earlier this month, the woman’s past caught up with her, and she was arrested in Florida.
After her arrest, her daughter, Michelle, reconnected with Joe, the father she never knew, and the exclusively spoke with WLKY. The last time he saw her was 1983. | Read their story here.
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According to investigators, the case finally cracked open this year after a Crime Stoppers tip in Florida, where her mother, Debra Leigh Newton, was living.
Newly released video shows the moment police took Debra Newton into custody in Marion County.
They roll up to her on a sunny day as she’s outside walking her dog, with neighbors nearby.
One even jokes, “They’re coming for you, Sharon!” referring to Debra.
According to our sister station in Florida, WESH, neighbors knew her as Sharon Neely.
Watch the full videos provided by the Marion County Sheriff’s Office in the video player below:
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She’s eventually cuffed and put into the police car.
Newton is charged with custodial interference. Investigators said felony custodial kidnapping carries no statute of limitations.
Debra is expected back in court Jan. 23.
‘They’re coming for you’: Video shows arrest of mom in 40-year missing child cold case
by: Sara Kitchin, Jeremy Tanner
THE VILLAGES, Fla. (WFLA) — Body camera footage from a Florida sheriff’s office shows the arrest of Debra Newton on Nov. 24, a woman accused of abducting her daughter in 1983.
The video shows Marion County deputies in front of Newton’s home, where Newton and a neighbor initially thought the situation was a “prank.”Former Cleveland Heights mayor spent taxpayer money on art before leaving office
“They’re coming for you, Sharon,” a neighbor jokingly said before deputies asked her to return to her home.
A deputy entered Newton’s home to notify her husband of the arrest while the remaining deputies awaited a detective to explain the situation to Newton and her husband.
According to Nexstar affiliate WDKY, Newton is back in Louisville and facing felony charges in connection with the abduction of her daughter, Michelle Newton, who turned 45 in 2024.
Authorities said they got an anonymous tip from someone in Marion County “identified a possible match for a 66-year-old woman using a different name.”
After investigators determined that the 66-year-old bore a resemblance to Debra Newton, they performed a test to compare the Florida suspect’s DNA to that of Newton’s sister, according to WDKY – the results were a 99.9% match.Watch: What city cameras captured in deadly Flats shooting
Officials with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office in Kentucky said that Michelle had been found living under another identity in a different state, totally unaware that she had allegedly been abducted.
“This is the kind of case you see once in a law enforcement career,” Chief Deputy Col. Steve Healey said in a news release after Michelle Newtown was located. “Detectives refused to let the trail go cold. Their work — and the courage of a Crime Stoppers tipster — brought a daughter home to her family after four decades.”
Debra Newton, who faces felony charges, is due back in court in January.
‘KIDNAPPER’ NABBED
Dramatic moment mom who ‘abducted’ daughter is arrested while casually walking dog after 40 years on run
The breakthrough came 10 years after family members begged for the case to be re-opened
Chris Bradford , Assistant News Editor
Dramatic moment mom who ‘snatched’ daughter is arrested while casually walking dog after 40 years on runPauseUnmuteFullscreenClose
DRAMATIC bodycam footage has captured the moment a mother accused of abducting her daughter was arrested – more than 40 years after vanishing.
Debra Newton, who has been living under a different identity, was snared on November 24 while walking her dog in a Florida neighborhood.
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Michelle Newton vanished without a trace in 1983 when she was just three.
Over the decades that followed, the case was dismissed before being reopened.
And, that was before there was a major breakthrough thanks to a Crimestoppers tip.
Cops honed their investigation in on a woman living in the Florida Villages.
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Newton, 66, has reportedly been living under the name Sharon.
“Uh oh, they’re coming for you Sharon,” a woman in the video said.
“We’ll we’re here for you ma’am,” a cop clapped back.
“Definitely here for you.”
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Newton was arrested while she was walking her dog.
She strongly denied that she had committed any crime.
Newton has since been extradited to Kentucky and hit with a custodial interference charge.
And, state law means there is no statute of limitations.
This means that Newton can still be prosecuted even though four decades have lapsed.
Newton raised Michelle before suddenly vanishing, catching her husband at the time, Joe, off-guard.
Joe and Newton were said to be planning a move to Georgia.
A final call between Newton and Joe took place between 1984 and 1985.
The disappearance of Michelle Newton
THE disappearance of Michelle Newton left investigators baffled for decades. The case had gone cold before a tip-off helped cops make a major breakthrough.
1983: Michelle Newton disappears with her mother, Debra Newton.
1984-85: A call takes place between Debra and her husband at the time Joe. This is the last call.
2000: Case dismissed as investigators struggle to contact Joe.
2005: Michelle taken off missing person database.
2015: A relative asks cops to reopen the case.
2016: The case is reopened.
2025: CrimeStoppers tip leads to a major breakthrough
November 2025: Debra, who is living under a new identity, is arrested in the Florida Villages and is charged.
Newton has previously been on the FBI’s Top 8 Most Wanted parental-kidnapping fugitives list.
In 2000, investigators dismissed the case because they struggled to get in contact with Joe.
Then five years later, Michelle was taken off the national missing children’s database.
A decade after that, a shock turn meant the case was reopened.
Last year, officials at the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children marked Michelle’s 45th birthday.
Artists released an image of what she may have looked like.
Cops went to Michelle’s home and told her that she wasn’t a missing person.
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She traveled to Kentucky and was reunited with Joe.
Newton has pleaded not guilty to the charge and will appear in court next month.
