KILLEEN, Texas (KXXV) — LeAnn Curtis is living in fear after her 2-year-old was kidnapped from their Killeen home in mid-October by 33-year-old Audrea Jaron McCuin, who forced his way inside and took the child without a car seat, causing visible injuries. Since the incident, Curtis has received multiple threats including warnings that her house would be "shot up," leaving her constantly fearing for her family's safety.
- The kidnapping - Killeen police say Audrea "Dre" Jaron McCuin forced his way into a home on Oakhill Drive, grabbed the 2-year-old, and put him in a car without a car seat, causing visible injuries.
- Physical aftermath - Curtis says her child broke out in blisters all over his body and mouth and couldn't eat for a week following the ordeal.
- Ongoing threats - Curtis has received multiple threats since the incident, including warnings that her house will be "shot up," leaving her in constant fear.
- Criminal charges - McCuin faces charges including burglary of habitation with intent to commit kidnapping, endangering a child, and injury to a child.
- Lasting trauma - Curtis says she feels "useless" and fears she'll never know what her son went through during the kidnapping since he's too young to communicate what happened.
Check out the story:
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
LeAnn Curtis is still processing the trauma of her 2-year-old child's kidnapping and now fears for her family's safety after receiving multiple threats.
"They were trying to smell for him to see where he went and all you heard was barking and everything in the background that was going on," Curtis said, describing the search for her son.
Police say 33-year-old Audrea Jaron McCuin, who also goes by "Dre," forced his way into a home on Oakhill Drive in mid-October, grabbed the toddler, and put him in the front seat of a car without a car seat. Investigators say that alone caused visible injuries to the child.
When a friend tried to stop McCuin, police say he attacked her before fleeing with the child.
The kidnapping triggered an intense search operation.
Curtis said waiting to hear her baby was safe felt like a lifetime.
"I felt useless and I still feel useless," Curtis said.
The ordeal left lasting physical effects on the child.
"Following that, he ended up breaking out in blisters all over his body and his mouth as he couldn't eat for a week," Curtis said.
Since the incident, Curtis said she has received several threats that have left her living in constant fear.
"My house is going to get shot up and such and such has a bullet for you," Curtis said, describing some of the threats she has received.
Detectives with Killeen Police Department's Special Victims Unit identified McCuin, and the Bell County District Attorney's Office issued several warrants, including burglary of habitation with intent to commit kidnapping, endangering a child, and injury to a child.
Police say McCuin also has a history of misdemeanor charges including assault and false reports.
The trauma continues to weigh heavily on Curtis as she tries to help her son heal.
"It eats me up every day that I'll probably go to my grave never knowing what he went through in that time frame," Curtis said.
For Curtis, the focus now is on healing for both her and her son as they work to move forward from the traumatic experience.
"I just want justice for my baby. He's only two so can't tell us what happened or what he went through that night," Curtis said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
