When one woman asked her friend to babysit for the weekend and then disappeared for months, the internet was left gobsmacked. If you thought your neighbor was flaky, try getting ghosted by a parent with no return ticket. Parenting escapism, redefined.

So, how did the Woman Asks Friend To Babysit, Vanishes for Months Like a Parental Houdini tale wrap up? After months of radio silence, authorities tracked down the Houdini mom, who claimed she needed “space.” The friend, now an accidental guardian, finally handed off the child—leaving both with untold stories and an internet-ready legend.