By David Lohr
August 2, 2007
BLUE SPRINGS, MO. (Crime Library) — "I have trouble being mean. It's not my thing." That's what 19-year-old Lauren M. Gash wrote in a personal ad she recently posted to Mingles.com, an online friendship and matchmaking website. On Monday, police arrested Gash, along with her friend, 17-year-old Alisa D. Betts, for kidnapping a pregnant woman as part of a scheme to cut the woman's baby from her womb. In retrospect, it makes one wonder what exactly Gash's definition of "mean" is.
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Amanda Howard's Myspace |
On her MySpace profile, Amanda Howard described herself as an 18-year-old girl from Clinton, Missouri. "Love is a game...You play and hope you win," reads a quote at the top of her page. In the "about me" section of the profile, Amanda wrote:
"I'm pregnant at the moment and so sick of [people] telling me I'm too young. WHO CARES? I'm going to love my son with all me heart. I'm getting ready to start college in the fall then transfer for massage therapy after my baby is born."
Pregnancy can be an emotionally draining experience, especially for teens. In most cases, they receive little support from friends or family. Perhaps that is what prompted Amanda to make the following post to her blog on Wednesday, June 06, 2007:
"So Alone. I never thought I would ever feel so alone. But at this point I do. I'm only 18 and I'll be raising a son on my own. I don't have anyone to lean on. So many promises broken."
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Amanda Howard |
Amanda was also active on other areas of MySpace, and, recently, she posted an ad for baby clothes. That ad led to an exchange of messages back and forth with Gash, who lived approximately 72 miles away in Atchison, Kansas. At this time, the context of those messages is unknown; however, it has since been revealed that Gash had been telling family members that she was pregnant, when, in fact, she was not. Her family recently held a baby shower for her, and they expected her to give birth soon.
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