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Mom's car stolen with 2 kids inside

“My heart dropped. To me, it was a lifetime,” Samantha Wandling said.

ST. LOUIS — A mom’s car was stolen with her two children inside. It happened Saturday afternoon on the 2800 block of Cherokee Street.

Samantha Wandling said she parked on the street and ran into a business to get change. When she came out, her car was gone. Her two boys, 5 and 6 years old, were in the backseat.

“My heart dropped,” Wandling said. “To me, it was a lifetime.”

She screamed for help, asking passersby to call 911.

A few minutes later and a couple of blocks away, the thief let Wandling’s kids out of the car. It turns out the suspect was also a child, 13 years old.

“Here we are with 13-year-olds stealing and robbing people and ruining people's lives and damaging people's minds for the rest of their life,” Wandling said.

She said one of her sons was asleep in the car and she left the car running because it was hot.

“I question myself as to why I did it,” Wandling said. “You hear about it, but you never think it's never going to happen. It's definitely a lesson learned.”

Wandling said the incident has shaken her kids.

“My children are going through a hardship. My middle son is worried they're going to come after us,” she said.

Police arrested the thief. She said investigators told her he is being charged with auto theft. She wants him to be charged with a more serious offense: kidnapping.

“I don't feel auto theft is enough,” Wandling said. “It's a slap on the hand.”

A representative from St. Louis Family Court could not comment on the specifics of the case because the suspect is young. However, the source said it is possible there could be more charges as the case is being investigated.

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