How Mom's Abduction Story Unraveled

PHILADELPHIA - With a Feasterville mother who claimed she and her 9-year-old daughter were abducted now in custody in Florida, questions have turned to why she allegedly made false claims of a carjacking only to go to Disney World.

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Authorities said they found Bonnie Sweeten at the lavish Grand Floridan Resort on Wednesday night after she was seen boarding a plane at the Philadelphia International Airport.

Investigators said during Wednesday night's news conference they believe the mom's included domestic problems as well as financial troubles.

They said Sweeten is accused of taking a former colleague's identity -- claiming she needed it to fix a 401(k) discrepancy -- and $12,000 withdrawn from banks and ATMs over the prior week to get to Florida.

The 38-year-old faces false reports to law enforcement and identity theft charges, so far.

Fox 29's Dave Schratwieser discussed on "Good Day Philadelphia" Thursday morning details in the mother's story that immediately made law enforcement suspicious.

First of all, police found no witnesses to the alleged crash Sweeten reported at Street Road and Southampton Road, Schratwieser reported.

When they went back and listened to the 911 tapes, Sweeten told the dispatcher she was in the trunk with her daughter, but they didn't hear the girl and they did hear some traffic.

"Immediately they're suspicious, but they have to run this down," Schratwieser reported. "They have to go check all of the angles out, they have to issue the Amber Alert. They have to treat this seriously, like this as an abduction at that particular point. But trying to find the child was always their primary concern."

Sweeten's SUV, of course, was found early Wednesday with only minor scratches on the back fender -- no sign of a collision. And it had a parking ticket on the windshield, issued not long after the 911 calls, indicating the vehicle had been there longer than the mother suggested.

Bucks County District Attorney Michelle Henry told "Good Day Philadelphia" Thursday morning, "Investigators initially had some suspicions and, as the investigation continue and her car was recovered in Center City with no damage … the story really just started to unfold."

Surveillance video from Chestnut Street businesses where the GMC Denali was found showed the mother and daughter, according to police sources, and more video surfaced at Philadelphia International Airport.

By late Wednesday afternoon, investigators were giving off a vibe that the scope of the investigation was going to change, but they weren't yet saying how.

Law enforcement just kept working hard to find the child, Henry said, and eventually FBI and police in Florida closed in on her at the Orlando-area resort, arresting her at 7:50 p.m. Wednesday.

Bucks County and Upper Southampton investigators arrived in Florida last night to speak with Sweeten.

"We will be looking into the motive behind this. We believe it may have something to do with some domestic issues or possibly financial concerns," Henry said.

That investigation includes whether the $12,000, taken out of banks and ATMs before her departure, was stolen.

A woman for whom Sweeten used to do paralegal work told Fox 29 News it's believed the 38-year-old took a significant amount of money from a charity at which she worked. Law enforcement sources confirmed such an investigation is under way, but Sweeten has not been charged with any crime in that matter.

Sweeten's daughter was placed in the custody of Florida officials Wednesday night. Her biological father was on his way Thursday morning to pick her up.

There were initial reports that Sweeten would appear in court Thursday, but now jail officials say that's not a certaintly. She was booked on a "fugitive from justice" warrant, being held on "no-bond" status and has decline dall media interview requests. It's not clear when an extradition hearing might occur.

Beyond shock to an entire city asked to look out for the alleged victims of a shocking crime, more community reaction to the case is likely Thursday.

"I want to make it clear: African-American leaders in this city are very upset over the stereotypical comments and description (Sweeten) has given police," Schratwieser reported. "I spoke to one last night who told me he's livid, and I'm sure we'll be hearing from the African-American community just to start off with."