HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – The woman who thought she would adopt from a local mother claiming to be pregnant with twins is speaking out for the first time since that woman was charged with felony theft.
The woman and her husband, who asked not to be identified, were working with Caring Adoptions, a west Houston agency, when they were matched with Jessica Felder.
Felder told them she was expecting twin boys in April 2018.
READ: Woman accused of faking pregnancy to get money from prospective parents, court records say
"We had imagined them being a part of our family, we had named them. We talked to parents, and so when everything started going downhill, it was very upsetting and traumatizing," the would-be adoptive mother said.
The woman said she and her husband had a good relationship with Felder. She said they texted and talked on the phone and even visited in person.
"We never thought anything (other) than how wonderful she was and how she was making a courageous decision," she said.
But as Felder's due date neared, the couple and the owner of Caring Adoptions became suspicious.
"We called every hospital (and there were) no scheduled C-sections anywhere in Houston. No appointments, nothing with her name," said Stephanie Warren, the owner of the adoption agency.
Warren confronted Felder and then called Houston police.
Felder now faces a charge of felony theft related to the more than $15,000 in living expenses she received from the couple.