The New York City nanny who set off a daylong search by police when she disappeared with a 3-year-old girl lied to investigators about where she went with the child Tuesday, prosecutors say.
Fatima Alexander, 55, took off with 3-year-old Gabriella Russo from the child's Battery Park City home shortly after 9 a.m. Tuesday, according to authorities. She was supposed to drop the girl off at her preschool.
The girl's father called Alexander's cellphone in the early afternoon and the calls went straight to voicemail, according to a complaint from the district attorney's office. He then tried to call the nanny at home, and was also unsuccessful.
The father grew concerned and called his daughter's preschool, and a staff member there told him the girl never arrived at school that day, according to the complaint. He called his wife, who, when she was also unable to reach Alexander, contacted police.
Alexander didn't return to the family's home until 12:15 a.m. Wednesday, the complaint said.
Alexander told investigators that she took several trains to try to get to Central Park and couldn't find her way home, and that she briefly returned to the family's River Terrace apartment for about 40 minutes at 11:15 a.m. before leaving again with the girl.
But surveillance video and her MetroCard history contradicted the nanny's story, investigators said.
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Alexander, of Brooklyn, was arraigned Thursday afternoon on charges of kidnapping, endangering the welfare of a child, and unlawful imprisonment. She's next scheduled to appear in court June 16.
A message was left with her attorney.
