Mother charged for giving baby away

A mother has been charged with child abuse and neglect after police say she gave her 6-month-old baby away to a stranger.

Police say Kimberly Lawrence, 23, gave little Kimmarta Lawrence to a 19-year-old woman she had just met Saturday after the woman, identified only as “KeKe,” commented that the baby was cute.

On Thursday, police tracked KeKe to Milwaukee, Wis., and the baby, described as healthy and in good spirits, was with her.

Memphis Police spokesman Sgt. Vince Higgins said KeKe, who has relatives in Dyersburg, Tenn., and Milwaukee, intended to start a new life with the baby and “tearfully gave the child up.”

Authorities are not releasing KeKe’s real name because, at this point, she is not charged with anything. Lawrence willingly gave her baby away, and Kimmarta appeared well taken care of.

Because Kimmarta was not forcibly taken, Higgins said police were unable to issue an AMBER Alert. But they pressed the search as hard as if they had issued such an alert, Higgins said.

“The child was not abducted,” Higgins said. “We had no reason to believe he was in any immediate danger.”

Tago Holliman, Kimmarta’s father, said Wednesday that he believed the stress of being a mother became too much for Lawrence to handle. Holliman has a 17-month-old daughter with Lawrence and another baby due around November.

Kimmarta was in the care of the Milwaukee Bureau of Child Welfare while authorities worked to determine custody.

Kimberly Lawrence remained in the Shelby County Jail on $100,000 bond.