Second Person Arrested In Lilly Baumann Kidnapping

Robert Baumann and the rest of his family always thought that Megan Everett’s boyfriend, Carlos Lesters, knew more about the kidnapping of his daughter Lilly than he was saying. On Friday, they were proven right. Carlos Carrie Lesters III was arrested on charges of kidnapping, interference with custody, and concealing minors contrary to a court order.

“Mr. Lesters visited Everett and her child on multiple occasions and has known their whereabouts without reporting it to the police,” Sunrise Police Officer Cindi McCue said.

Megan Everett’s family was always adamant that her sudden pro-Confederate “Flagger” attitudes and beliefs were the result of spending time with Lesters. She went on unusual rants about such diverse subject as Dora the Explorer, Medicaid, and Abraham Lincoln. Her sister noted that she had never been interested before in history, much less “this warped version.” In multiple photos taken in Lesters’ home, Lilly could be seen playing amongst boxes of open ammunition and also sitting next to Lesters and Everett when they had guns strapped to their hips. Lilly could also be seen in photos taken of Virginia Flagger rallies (often being the only child there). Despite these photos, as well as both Everett’s sister and mother saying Lilly should be in the custody of her father, a Broward County judge ruled Baumann and Everett should maintain joint custody of Lilly. When Baumann arrived to pick up his daughter at the apartment Everett and Lesters shared, they were gone. Lesters told him they had moved away, but gave no other details before slamming the door in Baumann’s face. Lesters had always maintained he did not know Everett’s and Lilly’s whereabouts.

Everett was arrested after her landlord at the RV park where she and her daughter were staying in Palatka recognized her from the TV show The Hunt With John Walsh, which aired an episode about the Lilly Baumann kidnapping last Sunday. The two had been missing for over a year, but had only been staying in the park for a week.

Lesters is being held without bond in the Broward County Jail. Everett remains in the Putnam County jail waiting to be extradited to Broward County authorities. Baumann says that Lilly is doing well so far, but he is seeking counseling for her. He also says that parental abduction is as much a crime as kidnapping by a stranger, and that Everett needs to be prosecuted for it.

[Mugshot image via Broward County Main Jail site]