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St. Patrick's Day: Meet the 7-year-old metro Detroit leprechaun trapper

Posted at 10:02 AM, Mar 17, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-17 20:44:22-04

For one 7-year-old girl in Bloomfield Hills, St. Patrick's Day is the most magical day of the year. 

"It’s out of control, she likes it more than Christmas," said Shari Turnbull. 

Shari says her daughter, Sienna, has been obsessed with the celebration and leprechauns since she was 2 years old. 

It's actually that fascination that leads Sienna to spend weeks every year devising an ingenious plan to nab one of those mysterious characters of Irish folklore. 

"She and my husband prepare for weeks. Go to Home Depot, make traps, set them out," joked Shari. 

Back in 2015, Sienna was shocked to learn the leprechaun she was trying to catch ransacked the family kitchen before making a daring escape. 

"I know a poem to get him to come back in!" Sienna yells in the video.

But, it was no use. 

This year, her trap consisted of fake gold and a pit of Lucky Charms. She explains the capture process in the video below:

She also set up signs meant to deter the leprechaun from thinking any trouble is afoot.

Again, the leprechaun refused to be fooled. 

But this time, young Sienna had a realization. On her way to school this morning, Shari says she revealed something: "Mom, I got a confession, I know it was you today." 

While her daughter's magical love for St. Patrick's Day may soften, it's clear her love for trickery won't. 

"She told my husband she can't wait to set her younger brothers and sister up," said Shari. "She knows the right way to trick them."