UPDATE 09:45pm: The baby has been found. No details are available. The police are currently preparing for a press conference.
Police are looking for a newborn baby girl who was abducted today from a local hospital by an unidentified woman.
The abduction occurred at about 12:30 p.m., and the suspect’s image was captured around that time on surveillance video at St. Joseph’s Hospital.
The woman was wearing clothing similar to hospital scrubs, and police say that points to a premeditated decision.
“We don’t believe she’s an employee there,” said Sudbury police Const. Bert Lapalme. “The uniform was pretty much to go along with the plan, we suspect.”
The Caucasian baby has dark hair, bruising on her face, was wearing a white flannel hospital gown, and was wrapped in a white blanket.
Police describe the woman as aboriginal, five-foot-six, slim and between 26 and 30 years old.
She was wearing white pants, a white V-neck shirt and a black sweater, and had her black hair in a ponytail.
Police issue an Amber Alert when they believe a child has been abducted and may be in danger.
“If the child is not in the hospital, I think there’s always a concern, especially for a newborn,” Lapalme said.
The woman is not related to the infant and it is not known why this particular baby was taken, he said.
The baby is believed to have been born in the last couple of days, and the mother is believed to still be in the hospital, Lapalme said.
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) in Alexandria, VA, reports that since 1983, there have been 121 abductions from health care facilities. Within health care facilities, 56% are taken from the mother’s room, 14% are taken from the nursery, 14% are taken from pediatrics, and 16% from elsewhere in the facility.
The good news is that in the past 24 years, 95% of abducted infants and newborns have been recovered safely.
