Trial looms for Instagram influencer who falsely accused Latino couple of attempting to kidnap her kids

A California Instagram influencer who accused a Latino couple of plotting to kidnap her children in a video that went viral and who was charged with giving false information to police is due to appear in court this May 19, SFGate reports.

Katie Sorensen went viral in December of 2020 after she accused a Latino couple of attempting to kidnap her two children at a local Michaels crafts store. She made the accusations in two Instagram videos that ended up being viewed by 4.5 million people.

“My children were the targets of attempted kidnap,” Sorensen said in the video. “I want to share that story with you in an effort to raise awareness.”

“I heard them talking about the features of my children, but I was totally paralyzed with fear,” Sorensen said. “I just couldn’t bring myself to say anything.”

The accused couple, Sadie and Eddie Martinez, were longtime residents of the city of Petaluma and are parents to five children. Petaluma police cleared the couple of any wrongdoing and issued a statement indicating Sorensen’s story had “inconsistencies.”

“To date, the investigation has produced no evidence or witnesses corroborating the account provided by the reporting party [Sorensen]. Evidence gathered has served to support the account provided by the couple from the store," Petaluma police said in 2020.

Sorenson currently faces three misdemeanor charges of making a false report to police; if convicted, she could be sentenced to six months in jail or a fine of up to $1,000, or both, for each count.