Marshall Dixon, 50, was arrested and charged with one count of kidnapping after allegedly snatching a 1-year-old child directly out of a mother’s shopping cart inside a Walmart Supercenter in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
According to Us Weekly, the harrowing encounter happened just after 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8, at the retail giant’s Memorial Drive location in Tulsa’s Burning Tree neighborhood. What started as a seemingly casual conversation between a stranger and a mother quickly turned into a parent’s worst nightmare, sparking conversation online about public safety and parental vigilance.
An official press release from the Tulsa Police Department states that the mother had just walked past the food section of Walmart and into the household items section with her two young children. She was browsing the shelves when Dixon approached her.
The mother acted fast
Dixon allegedly started a brief conversation with the woman, casually discussing her children. Without warning, Dixon allegedly reached into the mother’s shopping cart, lifted the 1-year-old toddler and placed the child into his own shopping cart before starting to walk away down the aisle.
Surveillance footage from the store reportedly corroborated the terrifying sequence of events. The video showed Dixon with his arms wrapped around the child, who was dangling over the frame of his shopping cart.
The attempted abduction was reportedly stopped by the quick action of the mother. Refusing to let Dixon get away, the woman immediately confronted him in the middle of the aisle and physically took her 1-year-old back.
Sensing that she was in immediate danger, the mother gathered her two children and retreated to the store’s public restroom. She locked herself and the children inside before calling emergency services to alert local dispatchers about the alleged kidnapping attempt.
At the same time, employees at the Walmart Supercenter were alerted to Dixon’s behavior and the confrontation in the household goods aisle. The staff intervened, kicking Dixon out of the store while also calling the authorities.
Tulsa Police Department officers arrived at the Memorial Drive location minutes after receiving the emergency dispatch. A brief search of the immediate area led responding officers to a public municipal transit bus stop just outside the Walmart storefront.
There, sitting on a bench, was a man who matched the description provided by both the mother and the Walmart employees.
When officers approached Dixon and questioned him about the alleged abduction inside the store, he reportedly gave them a surprisingly direct admission.
He reportedly admitted to it
According to police documentation, Dixon looked at the investigating officers and responded, “Yeah, I did that.”
KIDNAPPING ARREST – Suspect took child from shopping cart
— Tulsa Police (@TulsaPolice) September 9, 2026
Yesterday, around 5:08 p.m., Tulsa Police Officers responded to a kidnapping report at the Walmart near 68th and Memorial.
A woman said she was shopping at the store when a man came up to her, briefly talked about her… pic.twitter.com/smBc2IJgxl
Following the admission, Dixon was taken into custody without further incident and transported to the Tulsa County Jail for processing.
The Tulsa Police Department has emphasized that the investigation into Dixon’s specific motives and background remains active and ongoing. Authorities continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged kidnapping and what may have prompted Dixon to approach the mother and take her child from the shopping cart.
The story has since gained a lot of traction online, with the community calling on authorities to handle the matter with the utmost seriousness.
Published: Sep 13, 2026 07:30 am