Home / Crime and Justice / Doctor's Wife Fakes Kidnapping to Scare Daughter Straight
Doctor's Wife Fakes Kidnapping to Scare Daughter Straight
4 Dec, 2025
Summary
- Mom staged daughter's kidnapping, tying her to a tree.
- Attempt was to protect daughter from online predator.
- Mother faces felony charges for her actions.

Tammi Hamby, 59, faces felony charges after allegedly staging her disabled daughter's kidnapping. The Arkansas mother purportedly orchestrated the fake abduction to shield her 22-year-old daughter from an online predator impersonating country star Luke Bryan. The daughter, described as having the mentality of an 11-year-old, was found zip-tied to a tree in a field, frightened and in fear for her life.
Dr. Jeffrey Hamby, the daughter's father, stated that the elaborate, yet poorly executed, plan was an attempt to teach his daughter about real danger, as she lacked a concept of evil. He claimed his wife staged the event after law enforcement offers no assistance. The staged kidnapping involved two friends of the couple who posed as Luke Bryan's associates.
The incident has led to Tammi Hamby's arrest for conspiracy to commit kidnapping and endangering the welfare of an incompetent person. Her daughter has been placed in protective custody, and Hamby faces a $125,000 bond. Authorities questioned the efficacy and morality of teaching safety through simulated trauma, raising concerns about the daughter's ability to distinguish reality from a hoax.