Police seek Lincolnshire mom in child abduction

Authorities are looking for a Lincolnshire woman suspected of abducting her daughter who was visiting from Iowa.

The woman, Nancy Hayes, 55, is the birth mother of 10-year-old Caroline Dewulf, but does not have custody rights to the child.

The girl has been living for several years in Iowa with her father, Kelly Dewulf, 48. He and Hayes were never married, said Lincolnshire Police Investigator John Anderson.

An Iowa court order last month granted Hayes unsupervised visitation with Caroline every other weekend. It was the first time in many years she had been allowed unsupervised visitation, Anderson said.

"This is the second such weekend that she was accorded this privilege and that's when she left with the girl," he said.

Police are working with the FBI, the Postal Inspection Service, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Caroline was last seen at Hayes' Lincolnshire home last Saturday. Police were at first unclear how Hayes fled with the girl and checked all forms of public transportation. They now believe Hayes must have acquired a vehicle.

Hayes' own car had been repossessed a couple of days earlier, and the rental car she was using was found abandoned at her Lincolnshire home, Anderson said.

"That's why we couldn't put out an Amber Alert because we didn't have a vehicle," he said.

An arrest warrant has been issued for Hayes. Police are asking anyone with information to call (847) 883-9900.