Pregnant Teens Still on the Run

AMERICAN FORK, Utah – Three pregnant teens who police say overwhelmed the caretaker of a maternity home by hitting her with a frying pan and tying her up with power cords remained on the run Friday.

The girls used the victim’s credit card to buy a tank of gas immediately after Tuesday’s attack, but there was no evidence of it being used elsewhere, police Sgt. Shauna Greening said.

“I don’t know what their finances are,” she said.

The teens, two 15-year-olds and a 16-year-old from Illinois, California and Texas, struck Jana Moody with a frying pan, then bound her and another pregnant girl and dashed away in the woman’s van, Greening said. Moody was not seriously injured.

The New Hope Maternity Home, 30 miles south of Salt Lake City, is a place for struggling teens to learn about prenatal care, adoption and parenting skills. They are sent by their families to get them away from drugs or bad relationships.

“We haven’t had one negative experience with a girl. … We’re just hoping they’re found OK,” Spencer Moody, who is Jana Moody’s husband, said.