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Pasco woman accused of lying about daughter's attempted abduction

Tammy Steffens reportedly admitted to law enforcement she lied about her daughter's attempted abduction.
Credit: Pasco County Sheriff's Office
Tammy Steffens

HOLIDAY, Fla. -- A Holiday woman is facing new charges after she was accused of lying to police, saying someone tried to abduct her daughter.

Tammy Steffens, 36, is accused of calling the Pasco County Sheriff's Office Saturday and reporting that someone kidnapped her 12-year-old daughter behind her home near the woods.

Steffens is charged with filing a false police report. She admitted to investigators to making up the allegations, coaching her daughter and purchasing several items she said were left on her property by a suspect.

Steffens was later charged with tampering with a victim after making two phone calls to her daughter from jail to tell her it was ok to tell the truth to her father. She went on to tell her daughter if she told the truth she would not get in trouble but Steffens would.

The detective who responded was told Steffens and her daughter received threatening messages and phone calls, according to an arrest affidavit. Steffens showed the detective a laptop cover and notepad hidden in the brush and said she'd never seen it before.

Inside was personal information about Steffens and the home. The daughter gave deputies a description of a suspect, and Steffens gave them a name.

When the child was questioned, the detective said she was crying and asked what would happen to her mother if she told the truth.

The sheriff's office tracked down the guy they say Steffens told them was the abductor, and found that he was in Tampa at the time of the supposed abduction. Detectives also learned Steffens blamed the man, who happened to be her business partner, for sabotaging some sort of online contest she entered.

After learning the laptop cover was sold at an area Walmart store, the detective saw Steffens on surveillance video buying the cover, notepad and colored pens that were similar to the ones found on her property.

Steffens later admitted to the crime of knowingly providing the false information, the affidavit says.

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