Mom Charged After Allegedly Taking Son's Bully, 11, And Holding Him Until He Apologized

A mother in Utah is now facing child kidnapping charges after she allegedly took matters into her own hands when dealing with a situation involving her son and another child. According to reports, she confronted the boy she believed was bullying her son and forced him to apologize.

Bullying remains a widespread issue in schools across the United States. Data shows that close to 20 percent of students between the ages of 12 and 18 have experienced some form of bullying, which continues to be a concern for parents and educators.

There are usually several ways to address bullying, including reporting it to school authorities or involving support systems designed to protect students. In many cases, schools are expected to step in and take action when issues are raised.

In this case, however, Shannon Tufuga, 40, is accused of taking a much more direct approach in an attempt to stop the situation involving her autistic son.

She was charged with child kidnapping and aggravated child abuse on Monday, March 23, following an incident that allegedly took place on September 17, 2025. According to charging documents reviewed by KSL.com, Tufuga was reportedly driving around searching for the 11-year-old boy involved.

Shannon Tufuga has been charged Facebook

The documents state that she eventually saw the boy riding his bike and approached him to question him about the alleged bullying.

"She stopped her vehicle in front of [the boy's] bike and made [him] get into her vehicle. [Tufuga] transported [the boy] to her home in Provo, without [the boy's] parents' knowledge or permission, to have [the boy] apologize to her child," the charging document alleges.

The boy is said to have apologized to Tufuga’s son. However, the report also claims that she threatened him by saying her husband could physically harm him.

According to KSL, Tufuga later drove the boy back home after the incident. Authorities say that what happened caused serious emotional distress for the child involved.

Reports suggest that the 11-year-old has since experienced high levels of anxiety and has had to change his daily routines because of what happened.

The charges against Tufuga were first filed as first-degree felonies. However, they were later reduced to second-degree felonies after a district court decided that lowering the charges would be in the interest of justice.

The mother is facing second-degree felony charges Getty Stock Photo

Although bullying still affects a large number of students, recent data shows that the rate has decreased over time compared to previous years.

During the 2020–2021 school year, about 20 percent of students aged 12 to 18 reported experiencing bullying. This number reflects a noticeable drop compared to earlier periods.

Stopbullying.gov explained: "This is lower than the prevalence of bullying at the beginning of the last decade, during the 2010-2011 school year (28%), and lower than the prevalence last measured by the School Crime Supplement during the 2018-2019 school year (22%)."