STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- As a young girl on Staten Island, Ryan Elkins was a Little League softball all-star and a Richmond County Fair ribbon winner in hula hoop and pie-eating contests. She graduated from Port Richmond High School in 2007 and at one time pointed toward a career in nursing.
But her life has spiraled out of control in the past five years, and Ms. Elkins, 23, is now wanted in Florida on charges that she's part of a femme fatale ring "who target men and steal their money, jewelry, guns and other pricey possessions."
Her heartbroken parents say their daughter hasn't been the same since she was lured into a gang of sorts in 2008.
They said she was approached at the St. George Ferry Terminal by a young woman from Mariners Harbor who "promised her the world" and subsequently introduced her to a pimp at a Manhattan nightclub. From that point, Ms. Elkins has behaved as if she belonged to a cult -- with infrequent communications with her parents, typically only when she is in trouble.
"She didn't wake up and decide to do this," said her mother.
When the phone rings at home on Staten Island, "I always expect the worst," said her devastated father. Both parents, who asked that their names not be used in this report, described the experience as their worst nightmare.
During an interview with the Advance Friday, they repeatedly emphasized two points: First, they want their daughter to get help, as they believe she has mental health issues that need professional attention. Second, they want other parents to realize that Ms. Elkins was not long ago a child like so many others -- with no indication that they would lose her in this fashion. "That's not my daughter," her mother said. She added that the family has been thwarted from the start in their efforts to be proactive to get Ms. Elkins help, because she is an adult.
If Ms. Elkins manages to turn her life around, it will start with addressing the criminal charges against her in South Florida.
The Broward County Sheriff's Office is working with authorities in Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Hallandale Beach, Hollywood and Miami Beach to break the ring of women who target men. Police dubbed them "four foxy thieves" and their exploits have been reported across the state and nationally on CNN.
"They're attractive women that go into a bar and they have a scam and they work it again and again," Dani Moschella, a spokeswoman for the sheriff's office, told CNN.
The sheriff's office released details of a September incident in which Ms. Elkins is accused of having stolen a $25,000 Rolex watch from a man she met at the Hard Rock Hotel in Miami. After repairing to a hotel room with the man, Ms. Elkins told him she wanted to give him a massage and suggested that he remove his clothing, according to the report. He did so but stated that he did not want to remove his watch. She removed it anyway during the massage, placing it on a nightstand -- but soon stopped abruptly and left the room, stating she was going to get something to eat, according to the arrest report.
The man, realizing the watch was missing, chased her out of the room and onto the street, where a security guard detained her, officials said. She subsequently turned over the watch, according to the arrest report. The case, with felony charges of second-degree grand theft, is still pending; she is due back in court on that case on July 18.
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Source: http://www.silive.com/news/index.ssf/2013/07/parents_worst_nightmare_23-yea.html
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