Utah boy’s family breaks silence after kidnapping charges filed against another mom

PROVO, Utah (KSL) — A Provo mother is facing felony charges after allegedly kidnapping an 11‑year‑old boy and forcing him to apologize to her daughter, also 11, for what she believed was bullying.

But the boy’s mother says the situation is far more complicated — and that her son is the one who has endured ongoing harassment.

RELATED | Utah mom seeking apology from young boy charged with child kidnapping

Tension between 2 students

Amberlee Collazo, the boy’s mother, says the conflict between the sixth grade children has been simmering for more than a year. According to her, the girl’s attention toward her son became overwhelming for him.

“For the last two years, she has been bothering my son and telling him how much she likes him,” Collazo said.

She says her son eventually reached a breaking point.

“One day, he got fed up with the fact that she doesn’t leave him alone,” she explained.

Collazo acknowledges that her son responded with an unkind comment — but says what happened next crossed every line.

Mother allegedly took matters into her own hands

Charging documents show the girl’s mother, 40‑year‑old Shannon Marie Tufuga, was driving around looking for the boy to confront him “about bullying her child.”

“The following day, Shannon went around the neighborhood purposefully looking for (my son),” Collazo said.

When she found the boy, Tufuga scared him off his bike, grabbed him by the arm, and forced him into her vehicle, Collazo said.

“She put him in her vehicle and took him to her home and sat him on her couch. And while he was on the couch, I guess her dad or whoever it was was standing there with a gun on his hip.” Collazo said.

“She yelled at him that he needed to apologize,” Collazo said. “Shannon was telling him that he was lucky that she didn’t run him over because she should have.”

Collazo said her son was threatened and pressured into apologizing to the girl before being told to leave.

“They basically opened their door and told him to get the eff out, and he ran all the way home,” she said. “He said on his way home, all he could think about was, ‘What just happened?’ He came in, and he was just hysterical and said, ‘Mom, I just got kidnapped!”

The Sept. 17, 2025, incident led to one aggravated child abuse and one child kidnapping charge filed this week. Prosecutors said they reduced the charges to second‑degree felonies, each carrying a potential penalty of one to 15 years in prison.

Utah County prosecutor Christopher D. Ballard said that though it doesn’t appear Tufuga had the intention of “taking the child permanently,” the incident was still a “significant and serious crime.”

Ballard emphasized that no matter the circumstances, parents cannot take the law into their own hands.

“Even if your child is being bullied … the law doesn’t give you permission to kidnap that child to do whatever you feel is appropriate. You need to follow the law,” Ballard said.

Defense responds

Tufuga’s attorney released a statement denying the allegations and framing the case as a reflection of broader societal issues, saying the charges represent “a symptom of our society’s failings … where children were once held accountable by their own parents.”

The full statement from Pona Sitake, Shannon Tufuga’s attorney, reads:

“We respectfully deny the allegations made in the charging document filed this week. We believe these allegations stem from a troubled child and are not accurate. We look forward to presenting evidence to the state regarding repeat challenges our client’s children have faced at school, including the elementary school administration’s ongoing efforts to address bullying and maintain a safe environment.

“It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in a position where we must defend the safety of our children and well-being. The filing of these allegations are a symptom of our society’s failings and an erosion of traditional family values, where children were once held accountable by their own parents. We remain committed to working through the legal process and will continue to seek a just resolution based on facts and evidence.”

Collazo strongly disagrees, saying the situation escalated and Tufuga never attempted to reach out to her.

“Had she come knock on my door, like an adult, and said, ‘Hey, our kids are having issues, can we speak?’ I would’ve gladly let her in,” Collazo said. “But not once did she ever try. I’ve never met this woman.”

School district responds

Collazo also raised concerns about how the school handled the ongoing conflict.

In a statement, the Provo City School District said it cannot comment on student‑related matters due to privacy laws and the active legal case.

At the time of the incident, Tufuga was working as a school crossing guard. Provo police said she is no longer employed in that role.