This story was initially published by Local News 8.
Bonneville County Prosecutor Randy Neal and the Idaho Falls Police Department (IFPD) have dropped the kidnapping charges against Michael Raine, the BYU-Idaho student accused last month of kidnapping a 1-month-old child from the Idaho Falls Costco. The decision comes after the review of crucial new video evidence.
At a press conference today, December 11, Prosecutor Neal announced he would be filing the motion to dismiss the case.
“There are unquestionably ethical duties of the prosecutor not to go forward on a case that doesn't meet the legal standard," Neal told the press. "The analysis is really 'Is there a rational basis for someone to conclude beyond a reasonable doubt that they are to a moral certainty that this was a crime?' And, I don't think that we can say that."
New Video Reverses Initial Narrative in Court Documents
The case, which gained significant attention on social media, initially rested on limited video evidence and statements from the mother, Natalie Millett. Early reports and court documents suggested Raine had "lurked" near the mother before intentionally taking her shopping cart. Furthermore, initial court documents incorrectly stated Raine did not have his own cart.
The full video places Raine's own cart immediately behind the mother's cart. Raine is captured walking past the mother, who was browsing the book section, and then pulling the mother's cart from behind. Neal stated it is unclear if the 24-year-old ever looked inside the cart. Neal says this was further complicated as the video did not capture Raine's actions after turning the corner.
"It's really difficult one way or another to tell if he had seen the cart or looked into the cart," said Neal. "The intent in this [case] has to be proven circumstantially, because we don’t have a way to peek into this person’s mind.”
IFPD 15-Point Investigation
Due to a lack of certainty from the video, the IFPD implemented a detailed 15-point investigative plan, which included a cognitive interview and a re-enactment of the incident. Neal says this approach was used to gather unbiased information, particularly since the high emotional impact of the event appeared to have affected the mother's recollection.
After re-creating the incident with the mother and comparing it to the full security video, Neal says it became clear that some of the things the mother was remembering weren't correct.
Idaho Falls Police Chief Bryce Johnson elaborated on the challenge: "We know that's the limitation of eyewitnesses, especially under that kind of emotional circumstance."
Crucial New Angle
A new video, obtained by police last week, on Friday, December 5th, provided another angle of the confrontation. This footage shows the mother approaching Raine, who appears to still be pulling the cart behind him, coming to a complete stop to look at the products before she confronts him. He then follows her back to the book aisle to retrieve his own cart.
After reviewing all the evidence, IFPD detectives concluded that the evidence did not suggest any kind of stalking behavior or criminal intent.
"We have a fairly definitive narrative now of what happened after he turned that corner... it certainly seems inconsistent with an intent to take the baby and leave the area," Neal concluded, noting that the case does not meet the legal standard to proceed. He added that the case could be refiled if new evidence emerges.
Warning Against Social Media Harm
Turning to the emotional impact and stir the case has made on social media, Prosecutor Neal voiced concerns that many of the comments have been extremely harmful to both sides of the case.
"I think that we have really come to a place, on social media, where there is a lot of thoughtlessness before posting, before the facts were known, even to law enforcement," Neal stated. "We had plenty of people who had conclusions based on the most limited of information, and they were criticizing and making all kinds of statements that impacted this mother. I'm sure it impacted Mr. Raine, and that's not our system. That's not America."
Chief Johnson confirmed that police have met with Natalie Millett and her family, who have been notified of the dismissal. The mother, while displeased, agreed to create an impact statement for release.
Miller's full impact statement has been included below.
