Abduction Suspect's Identity Fools Even Her Children, Feds Say

RALEIGH, N.C. -- A missing children's case took a strange twist Friday when authorities said the alleged abductor had disguised herself as a man -- misleading even the children who had been abducted for nearly three years.

Two children -- then ages 3 and 5 -- disappeared from their father from Globe, Ariz., in the summer of 2003. On Friday, officials received a tip that the children's mother had them in Roanoke Rapids.

U.S. Marshals went to a house there Friday and found the two children. They arrested Shelly Karnes, 29, who is their mother.

However, authorities said that Karnes was impersonating a man.

"They arrested a man and woman, but as it turns out the man was impersonating a man who was actually the mother of the children," said Charles Reavis, a U.S. Marshal. "The children thought the lady who was representing herself as a man was actually their father and the children thought the lady in the house was actually the mother."

The other woman who was at the house -- who the children believed was their mother -- has not been charged.http://www.wral.com/news/8242962/detail.html

Pic of "mom" included at link!

WOW!! Maury Povich has the occasional show where he parades people around and the audience has to guess man or woman. I think this "lady" should be on one of those shows - she'd fool me! I wonder if she was a lesbian or just had another woman there as a cover...

Now that is truely a bizarre story! You would think that a now 8 year old child must have suspected something was wrong, but maybe he/she didn't want to "rock the boat."
I suspect that bykerladi is correct and it was a lesbian affair where Shelly Karnes was the dormenent male in the relationship.

It made me think of Mrs. Doubtfire until I saw her picture.