Woman wanted on sex crime charge arrested in Cape County

A Scott City woman wanted on a sex crime charge has been taken into custody in rural Cape Girardeau County.

According to Scott City police, The Cape Girardeau County Fugitives Task Force apprehended Taylor Mansker, charged in Scott County with statutory sodomy or attempted statutory sodomy/deviate sexual intercourse with a person younger than 12 years old.

A warrant was issued for Mansker’s arrest Feb. 29, but authorities had been unable to locate her.

As of Wednesday, March 6, she was being held in jail in Cape Girardeau County but was to be transferred to Scott County, police said.

The police department had been investigating a sexual abuse allegation since Feb. 1, according to a probable-cause document signed by officer Dylan Stevens, who has two years of experience as a major crimes detective, during which time he has been assigned to investigate child abuse and sex crimes. A call had come in from relatives of the victim, saying that the victim told them Mansker had touched a 5-year-old girl inappropriately.

The charges against Mansker came after interviews with the Missouri Children’s Division’s social service specialist.

Mansker denied the allegations, according to the probable-cause statement, saying “there’s too much of that on my family” and that she wouldn’t do that to a child.

Mansker “stated she didn’t know why (the girl) would say those things and said that she could have her mixed up with someone else.”

Based on the circumstances of the name the girl called Mansker and other behavioral factors, Stevens filed probable cause against Mansker. Mansker initially agreed to do a polygraph test, then canceled the polygraph the day of the test.