Phoenix woman charged with daughter’s abduction after 25 years

PHOENIX — After living a life on the run, a Phoenix woman has been charged with abducting her daughter 25 years ago.

Police said Valerie Berry took her then-3-year-old daughter from Santa Clara County in California in 1990 while going through a divorce. She allegedly fled to Arizona and changed both her and her daughter’s names and Social Security numbers.

Berry, who also went by Aleks Kelsi Webster and Aleksasha Webster, worked as a professor for environmental design and planning at Arizona State University until she retired.

In addition to her work as a professor, ASU spokesman Mark Johnson said Aleksasha Webster began working for the university in 2004 as a teaching assistant and continued her work until 2013.

Police tracked Berry to Phoenix through prior identities, social media and other records.

Berry faces a sentence ranging from probation with community service to three years in prison.

Berry’s daughter, who has not been identified, lives in another state.