Police: Mother whose baby cut from womb is recovering

LONGMONT, Colo. — A mother who was stabbed and had her unborn baby girl taken out of her womb by another woman is recovering in the hospital, according to police.

Police said the 26-year-old mother, identified by her family as Michelle Wilkins, is alert and answering officers' questions. Her baby died during the crime.

Dynel Catrece Lane, 34, who was arrested Wednesday after police say she attacked the victim who was seven months pregnant, was scheduled to appear in court Thursday.

It is unlikely that Lane, who was booked into the Boulder County Jail facing charges of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault and child abuse resulting in death, will face actual murder charges.

However, she could face felony charges under Colorado laws against "unlawful termination of a pregnancy."

Speaking to the Longmont Times-Call, the Boulder County District Attorney Stanley Garnett described Colorado laws involving crimes against an unborn child as "complicated."

"In most circumstances, if a child was not actually born alive, then homicide charges are not possible," Garnett told the newspaper, adding that charges would not need to be filed until next week.

It's likely the most serious charge that Lane would face may be attempted first-degree murder, a class two felony punishable by 16 to 48 years in prison.

Additional charges could be added for ending the victim's pregnancy.

Late Thursday, Wilkins' family thanked physicians and staff at Longmont United Hospital and the Longmont Public Safety Department and Boulder County Sheriff's Office for their "tireless work and efforts."

"Michelle is in critical but stable condition and resting comfortably," the statement read.

According to her Facebook page, Wilkins went to Appalachian State University in Boone, N.C., and her name is listed on university documents found by WCNC-TV in Charlotte, N.C. Records show her past addresses include locations in Boone, Raleigh and Greenville, and police said her current license plate was a North Carolina tag.

Longmont Police Cmdr. Jeff Satur said Lane later showed up at an area hospital with the deceased baby, claiming a miscarriage. Satur said Lane's husband drove her to the emergency room, thinking the child was alive. He said the husband is not considered a suspect.

The ambush happened around 2 p.m. Wednesday at Lane's home. Satur said Lane and the 26-year-old victim did not know each other before the incident. The victim was responding to a Craigslist ad for baby clothes and came alone to Lane's home.

"We've made some requests of Craigslist to try to freeze that account," Satur said. "At this point, we don't want to give away too much, because we don't want it removed."

Police said the victim had been beaten and stabbed in the stomach before Lane allegedly removed the unborn child. When officers arrived on scene at the Green Place home, they could hear the mother calling for help from inside the house. She was taken to the hospital and underwent surgery.

Police have not determined a motive. Lane has two children of her own and it appears she might have lost a child more than a decade ago.

Lane previously worked as a certified nurse's aide for two years in Colorado. Records show Dynel Lane's two-year license with the state expired in 2012.

An obituary from Pueblo lists Dynel Cruz as the mother of a 1-year-old boy who died on July 2, 2002. In addition, court records indicate a Dynel Cruz, through marriage, changed her last name to Lane years later.

The obituary says Michael Alexander Cruz was just 19 months old when he passed away.

It's not clear if anyone other than Lane and victim were in the home at the time of the attack.