Laura Silsby's Messiah Complex, Part II

February 6, 2010 | Filed under: Personalities,Strange but True,US | Posted by: Mike Daniels

The disturbing tale of Laura Silsby continues to grow. Seems she took it upon herself to attempt to abduct the adoptive Haitian children of a Kentucky couple, turning up at the orphanage and claiming the parents sent her!

Richard Pickett

Richard and Malinda Pickett have spent the last five years working to adopt three siblings from an orphanage in Haiti. Their heartwarming story (sans Silsby’s subterfuge) may be found in its entirety HERE. In part:

We had been supporting three siblings for about two years when I (Richard) took a trip to Haiti in May 2005. On the trip I had the oldest boy, Danielo, with me the entire time, the oldest girl, Daniela, for all but two days of my trip, and Danel, the little boy, was with me 6 of the 11 days. During this time they captured my heart. They are bright children and have very good hearts . . .

I decided then that Malinda and I had to adopt the children. I worried that when I returned to the States that she wouldn’t understand. There was just no way in my mind I could see leaving these children in Haiti. In 11 days I had fallen in love with them. I spoke briefly with Malinda about it while I was in Haiti and she seemed receptive. We only spoke three times for 10 minutes a piece while I was in Haiti so there wasn’t a lot of time to discuss any details.

When I came back Malinda was ready to adopt them. We started calling the children once a week and she would sit there and cry the whole time. She would tell me her heart ached as if her own natural children were away from her. And she hadn’t even met them yet.

We’re now in our 5th year of adoption.

Over the five years of work to adopt the three children, the Picketts visited Haiti a number of times, spending quality time with the siblings at the orphanage outside Port-au-Prince. Following the quake, their story made local headlines:

It’s been a 5-year battle to adopt the children, and the Pickett’s haven’t lost hope. They legally adopted the children almost two years ago, and now they may finally get to come home.

“This week’s been a rollercoaster, not knowing if Daniela is alive, then finding out she is, and then finding out we can get their visas.” With visas ready, Richard plans to go to Haiti and bring their children back next week.

After Richard left, Malinda says, the calls from Silsby started.

[Silsby said] “When they get to the Dominican, I’ll help you get them over.”

And I told her no, my husband is over in Haiti advocating for our adoption to be finished and get our kids home and you know at this time I don’t think we need any help.

Silsby wouldn’t give up, and called back twice more. Malinda tried to impress upon Silsby the effort involved in adopting children from Haiti:

Do you realize? We’ve been waiting 5 years to get our children, you know it’s not that easy to just go to Haiti and pick up kids. You know, you can’t do that.

Richard Pickett brings the tale of Silsby’s obsessive stalking to a close.

She kept persisting, and Malinda kept saying no, don’t bother our children, and Laura decided to show up at the orphanage anyway, and ask for our children, and said that Malinda had sent her there. And our children were not there at the time, they were with me.

The hubris of this woman!

Richard Pickett doesn’t think Silsby was interested so much in heroics, as something else. He read of her financial woes (which the Paliban Daily recounted for you HERE), and thinks Silsby saw dollar signs in those three teenagers.

. . . maybe do a mild form of extortion, because here we are, obviously interested in caring for our children and if she had them in the Dominican, she could use us as leverage to have us pay for their support.

UPDATE: The UK Times reports that Silsby is also due in court for separate civil trials in February and March.

Ms Silsby, who is currently in a cell in Haiti, is due in court in Idaho for a civil jury trial on February 22.

She is also due to appear in court in March to answer a second civil suit brought against her by an Idaho law firm, Beer & Cain, for $4,526 in unpaid fees.

What do you think? Was Silsby after glory? Money? A life of luxury in the Dominican Republic, funded by others? All of the above?

Mike Daniels is co-editor of Secular News Daily.

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10 Responses to Laura Silsby's Messiah Complex, Part II

Pingback: Laura Silsby's Messiah Complex | Paliban Daily
godlizard February 6, 2010 - 10:17 pm

I voted for the money motive, but I was torn between that and batcrackers, because … if you want to extort or fund-raise or whatever, aren’t there far, far easier ways? Maybe she had her eyes on some bigger prize, some sort of vast outpouring of financial support for her heroics?

And why is she always smiling that smarmy smile? Seriously. She’s in SO much trouble.

Baconsbud February 6, 2010 - 11:26 pm

I don’t think she had and idea what she was really doing. She had probably heard stories of how people have done good for children in areas such as Haiti. She probably didn’t look to deeply into what it actually took to operate an orphanage but made a large number of assumptions about it. I think it was both the heroic aspect and the chance of fast easy money that lead to this.

Lehulehu February 7, 2010 - 10:03 pm

The connection of the Picket’s story to Silsby should be shared in a more public place, news, as well as with the people who would like to give Silsby the ‘benefit of Faith’. There is so much more that isn’t widely known. This will have ramifications for many years to the detriment of legitimate adoption which is already a complicated process. It is significant that by their actions however well-intended, the church members that are now imprisoned with Silsby and Coulter will probably remain in jail for a considerable length of time. Ignorance of laws in a foreign country isn’t accepted as an excuse in this country, why should it be given in Haiti. The sad fact is if any of the church volunteers had studied the sad and tragic history of Haiti in preparation of this trip they might have hesitated. Then again, ignorance is a wonderful cloak to cover oneself with after the fact. In combination with religious certainty, self-delusion and naivete complete the package of unawareness, thus we have this terrible circumstance. How sad, it could have all been avoided, the Piper led them willingly astray, and who will pay?

crystal February 10, 2010 - 8:34 pm

If she and her group had gotten away with taking the kids over the boarder, I believe that the kids would currently be in the child trafficing ring. Those kids where likely going to be sold.

sherri March 3, 2010 - 9:54 am

wow that's quite some conclusion you came to, after calling you back "twice" that is obsessive stalking? 2 lousy phone calls? big whoop de deal! And when you say:

"You "THINK" Silsby saw dollar signs in those three teenagers. "MAYBE" do a mild form of extortion, because here we are, obviously interested in caring for our children and if she had them in the Dominican, she could use us as leverage to have us pay for their support."

WOW paranoid? Creating rumors and gossiping, lovely character qualities. That is some conclusion you came to! I would hate to accuse someone of such a thing just cause they have money problems and they were trying to get involved. How many people today are having money trouble? This is why people no longer help others cause sick people like you guys twist things, make humongous accusations, and slander people "on a hunch", you literally trashed her person on a public forum while she sits in a Haitian jail cell incapable of defending herself to your public trashing, while murderers and rapist in Haiti run wild!

- Geekoid May 18, 2010 - 11:30 pm
  
  Did you even READ the article? “She kept persisting”… and then she WENT to the orphanage and lied that she had been sent there to get these children… Not very Christian, and tantamount to kidnapping.
  
sherri March 3, 2010 - 9:54 am

continue….This is one of the most corrupt Gov't EVER! DO you really think they care??? Haaa true child traffikers never get caught and if they do is because they were a little man with not enough money. The naivety of Know-it-all Americans! God Bless Laura and her intentions. You have no idea the massacre there after the quake you all should be ashamed of yourselves for taking this opportunity to crush her name while she sits in one of the worse places in the world!

Scott April 5, 2010 - 10:24 pm

I think you're a self righteous idiot.

- JennyD April 6, 2010 - 12:27 am
  
  Could you provide specific examples of why you think Mike is a self-righteous idiot? It looks to me like he provided a well-referenced article about Ms. Silsby.

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Laura Silsby's Messiah Complex, Part II

10 Responses to Laura Silsby's Messiah Complex, Part II

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