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Rebecca Kirshenbaum, 50, of Phoenixville, was convicted on charges of kidnapping of a minor, concealing the whereabouts of a child, & endangering the welfare of a child, according to the Chester County District Attorney's Office.
She failed to return her six-year-old son to a temporary guardian in February, authorities said.
Phoenixville police received numerous complaints about the well-being of Kirshenbaum's two young children in the spring of 2020, according to the DA's office. Officers were having trouble locating the woman and her son for several weeks as they investigated the complaints, they said.
She was arrested and charged with concealing the whereabouts of a child and interfering with custody after investigators also learned she had not returned her son to his father at the designated time, per their custody agreement, authorities said.
She was released on bail on the condition that she did not have unsupervised contact with her children, the DA's office said.
On Feb. 16, 2021, Kirshenbaum was ordered to immediately return her son to his temporary guardian and to have no unsupervised contact with the child after failing to appear for multiple court dates, according to investigators.
She was granted permission to leave and return the child to the guardian, but she failed to do so, authorities said.
During a major snowstorm on Feb. 17 and 18, Kirshenbaum and her son were unable to be found, according to the DA's office.
Child welfare investigators were able to contact Kirshenbaum, but she refused to tell them where she or her child was, authorities said. On Feb. 19, investigators tracked down the woman and her son, they said.
“Rebecca Kirshenbaum not only refused to abide by her custody agreement but also deceived the Court by not returning her child to a guardian despite agreeing to do so," DA Deb Ryan said.
"Her lies and deception have caught up to her, and she finally faces justice. Unfortunately, a young child has suffered because of her actions.”
Call Childline at 1-800-932-0313 if you suspect a child is being abused.
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