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Kidnapping suspect's mom says boy posed as adult trapped in abusive relationship

OLIVE BRANCH, Miss. — The mother of one of the two men accused of kidnapping a 14-year-old Mississippi boy earlier this month spoke to only WHBQ on Saturday afternoon.

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Juan Andrade's mother said her son and his friend, Jason St. Aubin, are innocent and didn't know they were picking up a child. According to Bridgett Sixto, the Olive Branch teen posed as a 20-year-old man.

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Andrade and Aubin reportedly arrived in Olive Branch more than a week ago after they were arrested in Creal Springs, Illinois. Olive Branch police say Andrade and St. Aubin made contact with the teen through a gamer chat app.

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Andrade and St. Aubin are facing kidnapping and conspiracy charges.

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Sixto told WHBQ's Jeremy Pierre that her son and St. Aubin thought they came to Mississippi to help a man escape an abusive relationship.

“It was no luring out of anywhere. The boy left under his own accord. They didn’t know they were picking up a kid. They thought they were picking up a 20-year-old guy,” Sixto said.

Sixto said there was no kidnapping going on in this incident.

"Oh, God, there was no kidnapping at all. That boy came on his own accord; he contacted Jason to come and pick him up,” Sixto said.

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But Sixto told WHBQ that the teenager only communicated with St. Aubin and not her son. She said St. Aubin asked her son to drive him to Mississippi to pick up a friend.

"Juan didn't even know anything about this boy personally talking with him or chatting with him at all,” Sixto said.

Andrade and St. Aubin will be in an Olive Branch courtroom at 9 a.m. Tuesday. Sixto said she plans to make the train ride from Chicago to be in Olive Branch for her son’s court appearance.