Hold My Baby
By: Ray Doughty
Updated: July 9, 2010
With her head down 20-year-old Megan Phillippi mustered up a brief denial. Soft spoken now, but her victims say the Phillippi they encountered was far more convincing.
With a strategy Eddie Avila and several others fell for.
Eddie Avila says “I see a girl with a baby suffocating, sweating, her eyes back. She told me the car was overheated and the baby needed some help.”
Avila let Megan Phillippi in, they talked.
Eddie says “she asked me to hold the baby while she went to the bathroom.”
When Phillippi left, police say she had stuffed her pockets with nearly $8,000 worth of jewelry.
We showed Avila her arrest.
He says now it’s personal!
Eddie says “her birthday anniversary is gone and my wife deserves it and I’m going to make sure she gets everything back.”
Police say Phillipi's next victims were less than a mile from Avila's home.
John Foshee of the Sanford Police Department says “she would ask to use the restroom.”
If she couldn't find stuff to steal, investigators say Phillipi would stall and pretend to make a call.
Joani Munch, who was also approachec by Phillippi, says “I looked at both phones no outgoing calls.”
Her accusers say Phillippi was personable, kind
Joani says “she asks can I have some cookies gave her some cookies and then she said she was thirsty.”
Thirsty for more jewelry!
