An 18-year-old woman has been arrested for allegedly posing as hospital staff and stealing a one-week-old baby boy from a maternity ward in Lüdenscheid, Germany. The baby, named Noel, was taken from the Medical Centre of Lüdenscheid, Märkische Reha Kliniken GmbH, on Sunday.
Details of the Kidnapping
The suspect is alleged to have entered the parents' room and told the mother that the infant needed to be taken for a routine examination. She then vanished with the baby, leaving the parents distraught when they went looking for their newborn a short time later. The disappearance sparked a major police search, with officers deploying sniffer dogs and reviewing CCTV footage from the hospital and surrounding areas.
Approximately one hour later, baby Noel was found unharmed in the stairwell of a nearby parking garage, about an eight-minute drive from the hospital. He had been left lying naked next to a payment machine. He was rushed back to the hospital, where doctors confirmed he was unharmed.
Arrest and Background of the Suspect
The suspected kidnapper was arrested on Sunday after detectives identified her using CCTV footage. According to police, she is already known to them for various offences. The motive for the kidnapping remains under investigation.
Similar Incident in Germany
This incident comes just days after another disturbing case involving a newborn in Germany. In that case, a mother allegedly faked the kidnapping of her own three-month-old baby before the infant was found dead in a river. The mother, identified only as Dijana L, is accused of killing her son and leaving his body on the outskirts of Rankbach in Baden-Württemberg.
The 32-year-old mother told police last Thursday that a stranger had snatched the baby from his pushchair. The baby's grandmother told Bild: 'My daughter came home from shopping, she had bags with her and wanted to carry them up to the second floor.' She left the boy in his stroller on the pavement in front of the house, but claimed he was gone when she returned.
A huge manhunt was launched, involving drones, helicopters, firefighters, and 40 rescue dogs. The infant was later found about a third of a mile from the family's home. The mother was arrested on suspicion of fabricating the kidnapping to cover up the death.
