A Utah woman accused of trying to smuggle a newborn baby out of the Philippines zoomed to a Manila court on the back of a scooter on Tuesday.
Jennifer Erin Talbot, 43, faces life in prison after she brokered an illegal adoption with a teenage girl from the Philippines and tried to smuggle the 6-day-old boy out of the country in a carry-on bag in September, officials said.
Talbot is charged with human trafficking and child abuse but appears to be a free woman — walking out of court after a pre-trial conference on Tuesday morning before jumping onto the back of a scooter with a driver.
Wearing a black floral dress and large backpack, Talbot remained silent as she was flanked by reporters and photographers in the video published by India TV.
The mother-of-five was last seen wiping away tears while wearing handcuffs and an orange detainee shirt when she was paraded in front of media after her Sept. 4 arrest.
But prosecutors have since released Talbot from their custody, instead slapping her with a hold departure order on Sept. 10 which forbids her from leaving the Philippines.
Talbot was apprehended as she allegedly tried to board a Detroit-bound flight at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila with the infant hidden in a sling bag.
The baby’s mother, Maricris Dulap, told officials that she met Talbot online and discussed a possible adoption, NBC News and CNN Philippines reported.
Dulap, 19, said she met Talbot online and the American woman flew to the southern city of Davao to await the child’s birth, officials said.
Both parents have both been charged under a child-protection law. The infant is in the custody of the Department of Social Welfare, officials said.
It is unclear when Talbot will be back in court.
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