BALLWIN, Mo. – The St. Charles County Police Department issued a warning Monday about a suspected babysitter thief.

The suspect, 48-year-old Laura Templeton of Ballwin, has allegedly been preying upon unsuspecting mothers. There were three known victims and possibly more, police said.

Templeton came recommended through Facebook groups and a babysitting service called Care.com and showed up for jobs with her 11-year-old daughter, police said. In at least three cases, moms found their credit cards were missing after Templeton was done babysitting.

The most recent known case was November 23.

“She went through the lady’s home and stole her wallet and her credit cards and her debit cards…then she went shopping,” said Val Joyner of the St. Charles County Police Department. “She made several fraudulent purchases: household goods, holiday purchases, and gas. She did this approximately 30 minutes after she left the victim’s home.”

She used the victim’s credit cards for six purchases at a Walgreens in Ballwin and a Petro Mart in Chesterfield for a total of $376.76, according to a court document.

The purchases were recorded by surveillance cameras, police said.

She used a card stolen from a babysitting job in Wentzville in August at the Mobil on the Run on Wentzville Parkway, according to prosecutors. She allegedly tried to use a stolen card at the nearby Walmart and simply left the store with $295.42 worth of items in her cart when the card was denied.

Templeton’s been charged with five counts of felony stealing and two counts of credit card fraud but she remains at large.

“We’re just encouraging anyone who feels they may have been victimized or may even know where she is, to contact us (at 636-949-3000, ext. 2523),” Joyner said.

Templeton also tried to use cards stolen while babysitting in Richmond Heights but the cards were denied, according to police.