Chief Young: Attempted Kidnapping Suspect is Veteran with Mental Illness

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – New information was made available this week about the woman accused of attempting to kidnap a six year-old in Daytona Beach. The suspect, 30 year-old Salimah McCann, reportedly has a history of mental illness leading up to the incident on Sunday. Daytona Police Chief Jakari Young delivered a statement shedding some light on McCann’s history: she is a veteran who suffers from mental health issues, and was sent into an episode upon seeing the mother and child. Young said it made her “very jealous”. New surveillance footage released by the DBPD (available below) shows the immediate lead-up and aftermath of the incident, including the mother and child walking down the street and the suspect apparently walking away from the scene. McCann, who was already in custody for a separate incident by the time she was suspected, reportedly confessed to what she’d done Sunday according to Chief Young. “We’re dealing with a mentally ill suspect who is now in custody,” Chief Young said at a press conference. “I don’t stand here and make any excuses for her actions, but her history is what it is.”