The woman accused of kidnapping an adorable two-year-old girl from her parents in Arizona offered a bizarre explanation for the abduction, police have said.
Marina Noriega, 23, allegedly took Kehlani Rogers from her home near 118th Avenue and Edgemont Street in Avondale - about 19 miles east of Phoenix - last Friday around 11:30pm.
After her arrest on Sunday, police said Noriega told them that Kehlani was her 'long-lost' daughter, even though she could not provide the girl's correct name or birthday.
According to her arrest affidavit seen by the Daily Mail, she admitted to having smoked meth while taking care of the little girl, as she erratically described her state of mind during the alleged kidnapping.
Kehlani's parents told police that Noriega convinced them to let her live at their home after telling them she had 'nowhere to stay and no family to contact' in Arizona.
The alleged kidnapper also said her boyfriend and father were in jail, and that she had recently been hospitalized after a car accident.
Noriega repeatedly mentioned her 'baby daddy' and claimed that she had children, though she later took that back and instead mentioned a 'dead baby.'
Kehlani's parents thought her comments were 'strange' but still allowed her to stay at their home with their three children, all under the age of three, per the police report.
Kehlani Rogers, two, was allegedly kidnapped from her Avondale, Arizona, home last Friday around 11.30pm by Marina Noriega, 23
Noriega allegedly convinced Kehlani's parents to let her stay at their home after telling her that her boyfriend and dad were in jail
After her arrest, Noriega claimed she had 'coincidentally' found her biological daughter after traveling to Arizona to 'find family', the affidavit states.
However, she could not spell her supposed child's name, providing the names Malina, Mailai, Mailina and Malini.
She also claimed the child had been born in September 2021, which was two years before Kehlani's actual birth.
When she was asked for follow-up details, Noriega 'became frustrated' and wanted to stop talking to the detectives, police said.
Noriega told the officers that she would 'be happy' if they had not tracked her down and taken her into custody, according to the police report.
However, she said that Kehlani did not actually make her happy.
'I shouldn't give a f*** about her,' she said, per the affidavit. 'It's not my daughter, so I shouldn't give a f***.'
Kehlani's father, who has not been named by police, realized the little girl and Noriega were missing after he woke up to feed one of his other children
Noriega also rejected the notion that she loved, cared for or protected the abducted child.
'No, I don't, because it's not my f***ing daughter,' she said, per the affidavit. 'If DNA proved otherwise, then I would give a f***, but it's not my daughter. My mistake.'
Noriega denied having manipulated Kehlani's parents to eventually kidnap their daughter.
'That doesn't make any sense,' she said. 'They asked me to stay over there and they were helping me.'
According to the police report, she also added: 'I shouldn't have took it. I shouldn't have took advantage of the situation and done what I did.'
Noriega was on the couch watching television when Kehlani's parents went to sleep, according to police.
When Kehlani's father woke up around 6am to feed one of his children, he noticed that his two-year-old daughter was missing with Noriega nowhere to be found.
Noriega was arrested in Phoenix after being spotted by a QuikTrip security guard. She was charged with custodial interference
The girl's parents searched their street and neighborhood before contacting the Avondale Police Department to report their daughter as missing.
An AMBER alert was subsequently issued for Kehlani's disappearance.
Shortly after Kehlani went missing, investigators received a tip from a resident who said they had picked up a woman and a young girl matching the alert and driven them to Maricopa.
Noriega allegedly 'indicated' that she planned to take a train to California. The probable cause statement said Noriega was born in that state and was a US citizen.
Police officers waited for Noriega at the Maricopa Amtrak Station on Saturday, but she never showed up.
She was not listed as a passenger for any of the trains leaving the area, either.
Video surveillance confirmed that Noriega and Kehlani, in a black stroller, had been seen at 'multiple locations' around Maricopa.
After tirelessly searching for Kehlani, police arrived on scene within minutes. The toddler was 'safe and in good health' and police said they don't believe she was harmed
The following day, a QuikTrip security guard who has only been identified as S. Emmons spotted the pair in Phoenix.
With help from crewmembers from Camelback Moving, they boxed in Noriega's car, which allowed officers to swoop in and arrest her.
Kehlani said she 'wanted her mommy and daddy, but she was okay', according to police.
Noriega was charged with one count of custodial interference. She is being held in the Maricopa County jail on a bond of $250,000.
The parents, who remained unnamed, initially gave police a fake name for Kehlani's mother - Mariah Cannon - because Kehlani's mom had a warrant for her arrest.
They thought that would move the focus away from searching for their daughter to arresting the mother.
The mother eventually admitted her real name and asked to not be taken into custody until her daughter was found.
Police said that Kehlani's family members had been cooperative, giving law enforcement their phones and a DNA sample.
