Mum arrested after she kidnapped autistic son’s bully, kept him in her home until he apologized

Tuesday, March, 24 2026 - A mother allegedly kidnapped her autistic son’s bully, kept him at her home, then threatened to have her husband b3at him up until he apologized. 

Shannon Tufuga, 40, was charged with kidnapping on Monday, March 23, after she rolled up on her son’s 11-year-old bully while he was riding his bike around his neighborhood in early September 2025, according to charging documents obtained by KSL.com. 

Tufuga was “driving around looking” specifically for the boy, whom she confronted and forced into her car without his parents’ knowledge, the documents alleged. 

She allegedly drove back to her home in Provo, Utah, and kept the boy there until he apologized to her son. 

The boy readily apologized, but even then, the vengeful mom wouldn’t let up, according to the police report. She “threatened to have her husband beat up” the accused bully and sneered that he “was lucky she did not run over his bike,” the documents alleged. 

Tufuga eventually drove the shell-shocked boy back to his home. 

The alleged kidnapping caused the boy “serious emotional distress” over the following months, and he now suffers from “high anxiety and has had to alter his daily routines significantly,” according to the charging documents. 

Tufuga was charged with child kidnapping and aggravated child abuse on Monday, both as second-degree felonies. The charges were lowered from first-degree felonies after the Utah County Attorney’s Office determined that a “reduction would be in the interests of justice.” 

Tufuga’s son is on the autism spectrum, according to a post on her Facebook.