Four Allegedly Plotted To Kidnap A Child From The County Fair, Then Rape And Murder Them

Four people from southern Michigan are accused of plotting to kidnap a young child at a county fair, torture, sexually assault and kill the child and then dispose of the body.

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette's office has charged Matthew Toole, 32, of Battle Creek, Talia Furman, 32. of Springfield, and Jayme LaPointe, 19, of Athens and 37-year-old David Bailey (not pictured) of Coldwater in the alleged plot. 

The group of four also allegedly discussed over text messages an option different than a county fair abduction: kidnapping a child from a store parking lot or parade, according to the Battle Creek Enquirer in Battle Creek, Michigan. Such conversations allegedly began last fall and continued into the summer.

No children were hurt, according to authorities.

They face charges of conspiracy to commit murder, conspiracy to commit kidnapping and conspiracy to commit criminal sexual conduct. The charges stem from evidence state police were collecting during an investigation involving alleged sexual assault and manufacture of pornography, according to the Battle Creek Enquirer. All four suspects are being investigated over those allegations.

"They committed acts on their own children and were making sexually abusive material," Detective Sgt. Gerald Yott of the Michigan State Police Computer Crimes Unit said during a press conference on Friday afternoon. "They were all sharing and exploiting their own children and other children."

Toole, Furman and LaPointe were already in custody over those original allegations. Bailey was arrested Friday.

Yott says the four would sometimes engage in sexual three-way relationships with one another.

It wasn't clear whether any of the four has an attorney.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

[Photo: Michigan State Police]