A Utah mom is opening up after another parent is accused of kidnapping her son, who she says bullied her child.
Amberlee Collazo told CBS News in an exclusive interview that her son, Kristopher, is “going to have trust issues with people for so long” after the incident, which occurred in September 2025.
Court documents allege Shannon Tufuga stopped Collazo’s son while he was on his bike, forced him into her car and threatened to have her husband beat him up.
The 11-year-old said he was going to apologize to Tufuga when she stopped him.
“I was gonna say, sorry that … I got in your way. But when I was about to say that, she was like, ‘No, F you, get in my car, I’m taking you.'”
Prosecutors allege Tufuga drove Kristopher to her home and forced him to apologize to her child, whom she claimed he bullied.
Collazo said the situation stems from an earlier encounter Tufuga’s child had with Kristopher.
“He says, ‘Mom, I called her … a rude name and I didn’t mean to, but I didn’t know what else to do. She won’t leave me alone,'” Collazo said her son told her.
Kristopher said he now suffers from anxiety and emotional distress following the incident.
Tufuga faces felony charges of child kidnapping and aggravated child abuse. According to the Provo City School District, a neighboring city is investigating the case to avoid a conflict of interest.
In a statement, Tufuga’s defense team said the allegations are “not accurate” and added, “It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in a position where we must defend the safety of our children.”
Her defense team blamed the incident on “an erosion of traditional family values.”
Collazo thinks the situation was avoidable, saying, “A simple conversation could have fixed this problem.”