Police: Suspect in Kansas kidnapping knew infant's mother

WICHITA, Kansas - A Texas woman suspected of faking a pregnancy for months and kidnapping a newborn was a longtime acquaintance of the girl's mother, who was found shot to death at her Kansas home, authorities said Monday.

Yesenia Sesmas, 34, of Dallas, was being held in a Dallas jail on a Kansas warrant, with first-degree murder and kidnapping charges pending. Authorities who are pursuing the charges are seeking to have her extradited back to Kansas.

The baby was reunited with family members in Kansas on Saturday.

The baby's mother, 27-year-old Laura Abarca-Nogueda, was found dead at her home Thursday, setting off a search for the missing baby, whose name has been spelled by police both as Sophia or Sofia. The infant was six days old when she was reported missing.

Semas had known the baby's mother for years and had spent some time in Wichita before returning to Texas to live several months ago, Wichita police Lt. Todd Ojile said. She traveled to Wichita to kidnap the baby, he added.

The FBI joined in the investigation with 25 agents working on the case, Ojile said.

Late Friday night investigators identified a suspect in the case, leading them to a house in Dallas where the baby was found unharmed after a swat team executed a search warrant at 4:30 a.m. Saturday.

The baby was inside the home along with Semas. Also living there were Semas' boyfriend along with the suspect's son and niece.

Police do not believe the others in the home were aware of the woman's plans, Ojile said.