The Carson City District Attorney’s Office has dropped felony kidnapping charges against Carson City resident Katryna Bell after she allegedly took four children either without their parents’ permission, or the child’s permission.
On September 14, 2025 Bell was arrested for one count of kidnapping.
Additional charges came later due to the preliminary report not being finalized at the time of the arrest and failing to account for an additional three children found in Bell’s van.
While three of the children appear to have gone willingly with Bell, although their parents were either unaware or had explicitly told her she could not take them, one said Bell forced him into her van when he was playing at the park on threats of never seeing his mother again.
A further investigation took place after Bell’s arrest, and she was charged with three felony charges of kidnapping and one misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor.
She pled not guilty to the misdemeanor charge, and has not entered pleas for the felony charges at this time.
However, the District Attorney’s office announced last night, September 30, 2025, that they would be removing all felony kidnapping charges and instead charge Bell with three gross misdemeanors for false imprisonment.
They said they were doing so due to “revealed facts and circumstances that altered the legal assessment of the case,” but said they would not be disclosing what those are.
Roxanne, the mother of the boy who said they were forced into her van under the threat of never seeing their mother again, said she was also told yesterday afternoon that the charges would be dropped.
“They said maybe my son perception of what happened might be different,” she said. “My son hasn’t been able to sleep at home; he’s been staying with my oldest son.”
Roxanne said she was told her son’s story in his interview “doesn’t match what the other kids are saying,” but she said it wouldn’t — all three other children reported they went with Bell willingly, while her son told Bell no, and then was threatened to comply.
“I feel like they think my son is a liar, but his story is the only one that hasn’t changed, and he was the only one that was taken from the park,” she said. “I’m trying to be the voice my son needs, but I feel they already made up their minds.”
Roxanne said she was told by the District Attorney’s Office that they do not feel Bell is a threat, and that she will be on a GPS tracker when released.
“I don’t know what to do–I feel defeated,” she said. “[There’s] no justice, and she’s getting a slap on the wrist.”
The following is the statement released by the District Attorney’s Office Tuesday evening:
On September 14, 2025, Katryna Bell was arrested by the Carson City Sheriff’s Office on suspicion of Kidnapping. After the arrest and based on information and evidence that was available at the time, formal charges were filed by the Carson City District Attorney’s Office.
Due to the nature of the charges, the Sheriff’s Office and the District Attorney’s Office coordinated efforts to ensure a comprehensive investigation was conducted to uncover all information relating to the incident. The Sheriff’s Office collected additional evidence and conducted multiple interviews, including Child Forensic Interviews at the Carson City Rural Child Advocacy Center.
The additional investigation revealed facts and circumstances that altered the legal assessment of the case, and those findings were provided to the District Attorney’s office without delay.
Although there was probable cause for the initial charge and for the arrest in this case, the emergence of new evidence justified revising the charges to conform to the current evidence.
Accordingly, the District Attorney’s Office filed an Amended Complaint to remove the prior charges and instead charge the Defendant with three counts of Gross Misdemeanor False Imprisonment.
The Carson City District Attorney’s Office has an ethical duty to pursue justice in all cases. At its core, this duty requires prosecutors to continually evaluate the evidence in every case and ensure that every person is treated fairly under the law. The investigation and amended charges in this case reflect local law enforcement’s commitment to this fundamental ethical principle.
Due to the pending investigation, criminal charges, and involvement of minor victims, no further comment will be made at this time to protect the integrity of the prosecution.
A bail hearing has been set on the new charges for today, October 1 at 1:30 p.m.
