Local 1989 Kidnapping Case Solved

February 3, 2009

A tip phoned in by someone in California was the break needed by Rutherford County Sheriff’s detectives to solve a 20-year old kidnapping case.

Detective Sgt. Dan Goodwin tells WGNS News Marvin Maple was arrested in Southern California for the 1989 kidnapping of his grandchildren…

Goodwin along with Cold Case Detective Lt. Bill Sharp are in California now and plan to bring Marvin Maple - also know as John Bunting - back to Rutherford County. Maple’s wife, Sandra, reportedly died two-years ago. Goodwin says a tip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children over the Christmas holidays led them to Maple’s arrest Tuesday…

The children - Christie and Bobby Baskin - were eight and seven when they were allegedly abducted by their grandparents. They are now in their late 20’s. Their parents are Mark and Debbie Baskin, now of Vidalia, Ga. The Maples are Debbie Baskin’s parents. Baskin teaches music in Montgomery County, Ga., and his wife teaches fifth grade math in Toombs County, Ga., where they live between Macon and Savannah. He recently became pastor of Normantown Baptist Church in Normantown, Ga. You can hear a full interview with Detective Goodwin online at wgnsradio.com, keyword kidnapping.

Full Interview with Detective Sgt. Dan Goodwin

LINK: National Center for Missing & Exploited Children

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Written by BryanBarrett · Filed Under News

Comments

25 Responses to “Local 1989 Kidnapping Case Solved”

Tommy Thompson on February 4th, 2009 1:19 am

This man should spend the rest of his natural life in prison for the grief he caused Mr and Mrs Baskin and for what he did to those children.
local mom on February 4th, 2009 8:28 am

I can’t imagine the horror of not being able to watch my children grow into adulthood. The Baskin’s will never get to experience one of God’s greatest gifts. And now 20 years later, any memories about their real parents are probably gone or at best very dim. Where do they go from here? Do the 27 and 28 year old adults change their first and last names back to who they really are, despite the fact that a new circle of lifetime friends knows them for who they are now? What do the Baskin’s do to fill the tragic void in their lives? Will that gap grow larger now, or will the parents and children reunite. Our prayers are with them all.
Belita Howard on February 4th, 2009 9:06 am

My husband and I knew Mark and Debbie Baskin in 1988-89 while attending Southern Seminary in Louisville. The Baskin’s are wonderful people and parents who have spent the last 20 years searching and praying for the safe return of their children. This is a wonderful answered prayer and more prayers are needed as all parties involved begin communicating and unraveling the mysteries of the last 20 years.
Ashley Smith on February 4th, 2009 1:49 pm

I’m very happy for Mr. and Mrs. Baskin that this very strande case was solved. I still can’t believe what Marvin and Sandra Maple did to their own daughter. The Baskins missed their own children growing up. Although it is good they can now be reunited, the years taken by the Maples can never be replaced. I hope that the children will want to be reunited with their parents. One would think that Marvin and Sandra Maples probably brain-washed them over the 20 years. The developments in this case should be interesting.
Kevin Bevill on February 4th, 2009 1:50 pm

Don’t be quick to judge … I worked with Marvin and he didn’t paint a very pretty picture about his son-in-law. Those kids, now adults, had plenty opportunity to contact their parents and didn’t. I wonder why ?
Mandy on February 4th, 2009 2:01 pm

i wonder what would cause the grandparents to want to “steal” their grandchildren? Could they have suspected abuse? Did they feel the need to protect the children from their daughter or her husband? Maybe they are the people that are squeaky-clean to outsiders, but did horrible things to their family. If the grandparents took them out of selfish reasons, then yes he deserves to pay for that. But i’ll bet there is more behind this. If you think about it, the grandparents completely cut themselves out of their daughter’s life. that is a pretty drastic thing to do.

Some of us can’t possibly comprehend doing such a thing, but i know of people that feel absolutely helpless as they watch their own siblings or other relatives destroy the lives of their children…..drug abuse, or alcoholism, or lack of supervision, or large numbers of random overnight “visitors” .

just a thought…..
Vision on February 4th, 2009 5:18 pm

I do not think we know the whole story yet. The facts may come out soon. There is more to this story than anyone knows.
mark on February 4th, 2009 8:11 pm

I have known the Baskin family for generations. The Maples did not agree with the parents decision to go into the ministry. The Maples are controlling deviates. They will get a front row seat at the fire!
Cathy Snell on February 4th, 2009 10:17 pm

Kevin Bevill

You can’t believe what a criminal or a liar is gonna tell you. That is exactly who you knew, A liar, a kidnapper, a brain washer. If you want to know the full truth, contact the authorities they will fill you in. Basically the Maples stole the kids from Mark and Debbie Baskin who are wonderful christian people who were cleared of all charges. The Maples brain washed the kids. Why do you think they never contacted their parents. If you aren’t guilty you don’t flee, you stand up and fight. Ever wonder why they didn’t take the third child? Because if he needed medical attention they could be traced and found. We can’t condone evil. Just get the whole story before you form an opinion. And I pray to God that Mr. Maples makes his peace with God and finally spews some truth.
Nancy on February 4th, 2009 10:34 pm

Hey Kevin Bevill, kudo’s to you! I am SO sick of everyone badmouthing Marvin and Sandra! You people need to get a clue! Especially you, Cathy Snell!! Mark Baskins proved, by his own words, that HE is a liar, by falsely accusing Marvin and Sandra of abusing those kids just to get his kids back! The kids were with the Maples because there was abuse going on. Ask Mark’s father! You all think that because the Baskins are religious that they must be honest……… again, get a clue!!!!! Religion never stopped those priests from sexually abusing all those young boys, now did it????? I hope Marvin get’s the least amount of punishment possible. And hey, Cathy Snell…. did you ever think that the kids didn’t contact their parents because they remembered the abuse??????????? I don’t blame them for not contacting them. So why don’t YOU take your own advice and get all the FACTS before YOU start spouting off at the mouth! To Mandy: thank you for keeping an open mind!! To Mark: shut up!! You only know what the Baskins want you to know. Duhhhhhh!!!!!! Kevin, I’d like to speak/email you if possible!
U.S. Grant on February 4th, 2009 10:57 pm

and why did judge Corlew sign them custody with out speaking to the parents? should have fired him then
Praying on February 4th, 2009 11:10 pm

Nancy, whoever you are, I hope and pray you get the professional help you need for your anger issues. I also hope that you realize that your “get a clue” line makes you look ridiculous on all the message boards and news sites you’ve been frequenting the past few days. The Maples could have gone through legal channels to get their grandchildren…they chose not to do that. They broke the law. Experts ruled that the children had not been abused. What kind of sick people who previously had a good relationship with their daughter breaks that daughter’s heart by stealing her kids? What…they don’t care enough about their daughter to get help for her too if she is indeed an abuser? Or married to an abuser? And had they EVER ONCE approached her with their suspicions? Had they EVER ONCE come to her and said, “Debbie, we love you and suspect that there is something wrong going on within your family. Let us get help for you”? The Maples are/were liars and criminals.
Nancy on February 4th, 2009 11:41 pm

Excuse me, “Praying”……… but the Maples DID go through the legal system to get permanent custody of the kids. They already had temporary legal custody. Mark and Debbie were the ones who chose to take Michael with them out of state and leave Christy and Bobby with the Maples. You obviously don’t know much about this story. And speaking of sick people… who let’s their kids go with their fathers parents knowing they’re being abused by them??? Ummm, yeah, that would be the Mark Baskin. Mark was prosecuting his own father for abusing Bobby. It’s a shame that you have a problem with people like me speaking the truth in public. If you can’t handle it, then by all means, stay off these sites. I don’t look ridiculous… I just happen to know what I’m talking about. You on the other hand do not know anything about this story, other than the one sided garbage you’ve read. I have no anger issues. However, narrow minded people like you do tend to turn my stomach. And why didn’t anyone ever contact Debbie’s two sisters to hear the other side of the story? And by the way, of course the Maples approached Debbie and Mark about their suspicions. If you knew them, or knew the facts, you would know these things. So like I said in my last post, “get a clue”! I find it rather amusing, but not in a funny way, how everyone just goes along with whatever you read, like a bunch of robots… yet someone like me shows up and actually has facts about this case and you don’t like to hear it. You would rather just sit there judging people and calling them all sorts of names, yet you don’t know anything about it. It’s just easier to believe the worst about people, isn’t it. And let me guess… you’re perfect right? There are always two sides to every story! You only know what the Baskins want you to know! The Maples are/were always kind hearted, hard working, honest, loving, family oriented people….. always!!!!!! And THAT is a FACT!
Praying on February 5th, 2009 12:33 am

OK…if you can answer without the craziness…you’re saying that Mark Baskin suspected his own father of abusing his kids? Was it ever substantiated?
angie on February 5th, 2009 12:53 am

WoW…..alot of anger on this board. I don’t know anything about the Baskins or the Maples, but if i recall…..back in the 80’s all it took was someone to allege abuse of a child by the parents and the children would then be placed with a family member other than the parents until the accusations were sorted out. So, just because a judge placed the Baskin children with the Maples does not mean there was any merit to these accusations. Standard procedure. And, as far as some of you claiming to know the complete truth to the story….believe me….I don’t believe anyone knows the COMPLETE truth. I personally believe that whether truth or not to the allegations…the Maples committed a crime by kidnapping the children. Nobody should be able to get away with that. Nobody! But, I do know one thing….maybe before anyone goes spouting off on here so freely about the “facts” that they believe- you might want to think about Jennifer and Jonathan and how they might feel if they come across this forum. I pray they find it in their hearts to hear their parents side. Remember….there’s always two sides to a story.
Friends for the Truth on February 5th, 2009 5:24 am

If I had my guess, Sandra Maple is givin’ it up to the devil about now and as far as Marvin in conerned, well he’s halfway there, getting ready to bust hell wide open to join his old lady down there. These 2 people are just plan evil to do what they did to the Baskin Family.
Cathy Snell on February 5th, 2009 6:51 am

Nancy,
I find your ignorance laughable. They chose not to take Michael with them because he had medical needs and would have to be in and out of the hospital, which would make them traceable. If there was real abuse going on don’t you think they would have taken Michael to? And I do have all of the facts. It is on paper and you too can check it out with the authorities. The courts proved that the Baskins had NEVER abused their kids, and the reason they have never called is because they have been brainwashed. Why do you think when the detectives first spoke to Christy when she was recently found her statement was that the only mother she has ever known died 2 years ago..they have been brainwashed to forget that had any other parents but the Maples. If the Baskins had done anything wrong they wouldn’t have the children that they have now and would be serving time, but instead who is sitting in jail Mr. Maples where he belonged 20 years ago. What you don’t understand and what the Maples don’t understand is that by taking the children yes they hurt the Baskins but in the long run they totally devistated the children that they professed to be protecting. You cannot trust a liar, and a kidnapper. They will tell you what you wanna hear..EVERYTIME..and obviously you fell for it hook, line and sinker. Personally I hope Mr. Maples spends the rest of his natural life in jail. An eye for and eye and a tooth for a tooth. Thanks for all of those who backed me up.
Praying on February 5th, 2009 8:35 am

The bottom line is…innocent people let the law work *for* them just as the Baskins did. Criminals run from the protection of the law as the Maples did. The Maples ran for 20 years while the Baskins have been denied a life with their children. All that is wrong no matter whose side of the story you hear.
payyi on February 5th, 2009 2:55 pm

If you Nancy knew all these facts to be true and most important saw with your own eyes and could prove it why weren’t your a witness in the case for abuse? Is this case maybe the bunting’s kids were grown up and grandparents being needy for attention, so I’ll just take my grand children and relive my life over again and maybe this time, I wont make mistakes. And I agree with the others, if abuse is going on, why leave the youngest to fend for himself. what kind of love is that? they were not a litter of so we’ll take just the pick of the litter. I feel really sorry for both the kids as I am sure they are warped beyond anything we can imagine.
Cindy Phiffer on February 5th, 2009 6:56 pm

Every person involved needs to be covered in prayer. Every person. The “children” first, then every family member, their loyal friends, law enforcement officials and those in the legal system.

This event, whatever the facts, is somewhat of an open wound for us here in middle Tennessee. Many are or have been close to members of both families. My sister Phyllis and I carpooled to OHS with Debbie and Sherry. Mark, his brother and both sisters are cherished friends. Debbie and I went into business together for about five minutes as young mothers, and Mark was an encouragement to my husband during a difficult time. Our older son Jonathon stayed at Debbie’s and Mark’s the day our younger son Josh was born. My dad still lives in Palmer Heights subdivision, about a block from the house where the Maples’ family lived, and he has never stopped caring.

I’ve already started praying that our community will choose to come together during this time. Let’s gather around these families and pray for healing of all the broken places. Please pray that everyone involved–from immediate family members all the way to those on the periphery–will seek spiritual guidance regarding how to proceed. Our hearts are wounded, our minds are reeling and our emotions are raw. Let’s try to be gentle with one another despite our passion.
These people are part of our community family. They all need us to come together around them now so that justice can be served and healing can begin.

Sincerely, Cindy
MTMomma on February 6th, 2009 1:19 am

I understand completely the differing opinions. I also recognize the names of a few posters on here as people that I have known for my entire life (Cindy, Cathy), as I am from Murfreesboro and still reside there. However, there are many good upstanding Murfreesboro folks that stand whole-heartedly in the belief that the MAPLES rescued the children. I do not know what really happened back in the 80’s, nor do ANY of us. We can all make assumptions. The children may or may not tell us for sure what really happened. I just ask each of you to take into account that there are good, upstanding people in this town that support both sides of the fence. Some message boards seem to think that everyone here hates the Maples, but this is not accurate. I have no personal opinion, as I was in junior high when they disappeared. However, I do know several older adults in their 70’s that truly believe that the Maples would never have acted without reason. Take that for what it is worth.
MTMomma on February 6th, 2009 1:21 am

I would also like to clarify that I did not use my actual name due to some people’s inability to keep from villianizing differing opinions, and I will not open my family up to verbal attacks from weirdo’s across the country, googling this case and arriving here, for speaking out. Thanks!
MOM34 on February 6th, 2009 2:41 am

I DON’T KNOW THE WHOLE STORY ABOUT THIS BUT I THINK EVERYBODY NEEDS TO STOP AT LOOK AT THE TWO THAT IS HURTING THE MOST
Kathy Hester on February 8th, 2009 5:33 pm

My heart feel`s you. I to live in Vidalia (Normantown) My daughter was kidnapped by her grandma and father when she was 8 years old. I didn`t know where she was for12 year`s. We are not as close as I would like but we stay in some contact .She was kidnapped in Calif. I moved home to Ga and found her in Idaho. I`m still here she in Ca. GOD BLESS YOU! Your in my prayers for closure.I wish I could hug you both!
My Point Of View on February 16th, 2009 6:05 pm

1. A lot “religion” is involved in this case.
2. A lot of “religion” is being discussed on this board.
3. Parents sound like religious “nuts”.
4. Not condoning kidnapping AT ALL, but “religion” sure does seem to be a major explanation for why they were kidnapped
5. Grandfather may have not been religious and thought parents were religious “nuts”.