A Utah mom is facing child kidnapping charges after reportedly taking her son’s alleged bully and insisting he apologize.
Bullying remains a widespread issue in US schools. In fact, nearly one in five students aged 12 to 18 say they have been bullied in some form.
When concerns are raised, families typically rely on schools and established reporting processes to intervene. But in this case, authorities allege one parent took matters into her own hands.
Shannon Tufuga, 40, was charged on Monday (March 23) with child kidnapping and aggravated child abuse in connection with an incident said to have occurred on September 17, 2025.
According to charging documents viewed by KSL.com, Tufuga allegedly went out “driving around looking” for an 11-year-old boy.
The documents allege she saw the child riding his bike and confronted him about claims he had been bullying her autistic son.
“She stopped her vehicle in front of [the boy’s] bike and made [him] get into her vehicle. [Tufuga] transported [the boy] to her home in Provo, without [the boy’s] parents’ knowledge or permission, to have [the boy] apologize to her child,” the charged document alleges.
Reports say the boy did apologize. However, Tufuga is also accused of escalating the situation by allegedly warning the child that her husband would beat him up.
KSL reports that she then drove the boy back to his home. The case filing reportedly states the incident caused “serious emotional distress,” adding that the child now experiences high anxiety and has had to significantly change his daily routines.
The charges were first filed as first-degree felonies, but were later reduced to second-degree felonies after a district court determined “that the reduction would be in the interests of justice.”
While the latest available data shows close to 20 percent of 12- to 18-year-olds experienced bullying during the 2020–2021 school year, the overall rate has dropped compared to earlier points in the last decade.
Stopbullying.gov explained: “This is lower than the prevalence of bullying at the beginning of the last decade, during the 2010-2011 school year (28%), and lower than the prevalence last measured by the School Crime Supplement during the 2018-2019 school year (22%).”
If you’ve been affected by bullying and want to speak to someone in confidence, contact Bullying UK (part of Family Lives) on 0808 800 2222. The helpline service is open 9am–9pm Monday to Friday and 10am–3pm Saturday and Sunday.