Charges dropped against teen accused of taking toddler

ST. LOUIS -- Kidnapping charges have been dropped against a 15-year-old girl accused of taking a St. Louis toddler to Detroit without the permission of the child's parents.

The decision Monday upset the child's family.

Denisha Hair was found in Detroit with the teenager in July, several days after Denisha's father allowed the 15-year-old to take his daughter to a neighborhood store to buy candy. When they didn't return, a nationwide search began.

One reason the charges were dropped: the child's parents failed to show up at a court hearing, authorities said.

"I believe it's not fair because she might go around to somebody else's kids, and somebody else might be less fortunate than I am," Kevin Campbell, the father of Denisha, told KSDK-TV. The child was 23 months old when she disappeared July 19.

The teenager, identified only by her street name, "Precious," was a runaway from Reidsville, N.C. Authorities said she will be sent home.

Denisha has been in foster care since July 29, shortly after she was found in Detroit. Her parents, Campbell and Doretha Hair, are trying to get her back.

A judge placed the child in foster care, ruling that Kevin Campbell was negligent for allowing the teen, whom court officials called a known drug user and prostitute, to take his daughter. Court officials also said Denisha was being raised in poor living conditions and that her parents used illegal drugs.

The FBI tracked down the child after tracing a call the teen made on a cell phone to a convenience store near a Detroit Greyhound bus station. Police recovered the toddler and took the teenager into custody.