A 71-year-old woman is currently being held in jail and is facing charges of kidnapping among other charges after she allegedly lured a father and his two daughters back to her house and then held them hostage at gunpoint.
Helen Litchfield is facing three counts of kidnapping, three counts of aggravated assault, and a count of armed burglary according to a statement from the Wakulla County Sheriff’s department. That’s quite the potential rap sheet, so what do we know about the incident involving Litchfield and the family she stands accused of kidnapping?
What is Helen Litchfield accused of doing?
The elderly woman allegedly “lured” the family to her home, promising them that they could make use of the pond at the property she was living in for fishing. The father and his two young daughters met Litchfield on August 4th while fishing off a bridge according to WCTV.
Once in the home Litchfield apparently produced a gun and held the three against their will. Her reason for doing so was that she did not believe that the father was the two girls’ biological father, in fact, she believed that the girls had been trafficked and that the father was the one that had kidnapped them.
Both the girls and the father insisted that they were indeed biologically related according to deputies but Litchfield refused to believe their story. While holding them hostage she apparently searched them and then went to search the father’s car as well.
How did they escape?
Litchfield’s roommate ultimately helped the family get away by leading them to a fence where they could escape while she was distracted. Thankfully they were able to get out of the house, without being harmed by Litchfield, and report the incident to the police resulting in the elderly woman being taken into custody. She was arrested on Friday, August 15th and is currently being held in Wakulla County Jail.
Florida Republican grandma holds father & 2 daughters at gun point—thinks he must be trafficking underage girls.
— LongTime
She "lured" the family to her home by telling them they could "fish in her pond."
But then she pulled a gun—cause she didn’t believe girls were really his daughters.… pic.twitter.com/p9bD8BLkkqFirstTime
(@LongTimeHistory) August 20, 2025
The concerning incident has caught the attention of netizens online who have shared their thoughts on the matter. Some were sympathetic and suggested that she needed “medical mental health care,” others accused Litchfield of being “bored and living out Hero fantasies in real life.”
Many made the assumption that the father was likely not white which may have been a factor in the situation although the details of the family are not currently known so that may not be the case. Some even suggested she would make a great ICE agent.
Regardless, the family were luckily able to escape Litchfield and she is now in custody and will hopefully receive any mental help she may need while being prevented from being a threat to anybody else.
