Winks Is Presumed Home; Missed Court Deadline in Tijuana

Convicted baby stealer Bette L. Winks was presumed to be at her home Saturday in Hudson, Ill., after failing to appear in a Tijuana courtroom.

Winks, a former Illinois “model mother,” had failed to appear Friday and was ordered to make an appearance within five days by Baja California Judge Alejandro Vazquez Rivera or forfeit her $750 bail and be sought for arrest.

Vazquez had sentenced Winks on July 17 to a five-year prison term for child stealing but released her on bail, pending her appeal, because of her need for medical attention. He had ordered her to return to court Friday, but she didn’t. Winks had already served nearly six months of her sentence.