Judge grants SPI mother accused of kidnapping daughter, during custody battle, permission to work

SOUTH PADRE ISLAND, Texas (ValleyCentral) — A mother accused of abducting her daughter for five months during a custody battle made a court appearance on Tuesday morning.

Following her arraignment on Dec. 30, Lilian Maria Crouch was released on bond and placed on house arrest.

On Tuesday, May 20, Lilian's attorneys asked the judge if she could leave her home for at least eight hours with a monitoring device, in order to work.

The judge granted the request.

At this time, no announcements have been made regarding who will have full custody of Rilee Crouch.

The next court hearing is scheduled for Aug. 5.

Background

In July 2024, Dakota Crouch, the father of 3-year-old Rilee, reported his daughter missing after not hearing from his estranged wife, Lilian.

In a previous ValleyCentral report, Dakota reported that he last saw his daughter on July 2, 2024, after dropping her off at Lillian's house.

On July 4, when he went back to pick her up, his daughter and the child's mother were gone.

Five months later, on Dec. 29, 2024, Rilee was found in Panama with her mother and returned safely to Harlingen with the FBI, the family stated.

The child’s paternal grandmother, Cyndee Bailey of Austin, told ValleyCentral that Rilee was kidnapped from SPI by her mother, who was trying to flee to Turkey.

On Dec. 30, Lilian was arraigned for abducting her daughter during an alleged custody battle.

A previous ValleyCentral report stated she was charged with interference with child custody and contempt of court. Her bond was set at $100,000.

During the arraignment, it was revealed that Lilian escaped to multiple countries with Rilee, including Mexico, Guatemala, Turkey, and Panama.

Under the conditions of her bond, Crouch’s passport has been revoked, and she is not allowed to leave Cameron County. 

At the time of the arraignment, she was to remain under house arrest and was required to wear an electronic monitoring device.