A baby girl abducted from the maternity ward just hours after she was born has been saved, thanks to a little help from Facebook.
Police in Canada issued an Amber Alert on Monday after a woman allegedly wearing scrubs and posing as a nurse snatched the baby from a hospital in Quebec, claiming she needed to weigh the infant. Authorities included a photo of the suspect and a description of her car in the alert, which was posted on social media by a local news site. That move ended up saving the baby's life, as a Facebook user spotted the alert and recognized the kidnapper.
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Sharelle Bergeron and Melizanne Bergeron spotted the photo and thought they recognized the suspect as their neighbor. After showing the picture to friends Charlene Plante and Marc-Andre Cote, the four decided to drive to the woman's house. Once they realized she was in the home, they quickly called police and waited outside while they arrived.
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Post by CTV Montreal.
Eventually, authorities found the baby. In an emotional cell phone video, the friends captured the moment the officer walked out of the apartment with the newborn in his arms. In the clip, all four burst into tears once they realize the child is safe.
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Thanks to their actions, the baby was returned unharmed to her mother about three hours after being taken. The suspect has since been arrested for the kidnapping.
Wow…I can't imagine how devastated and panicked those poor parents must have been upon realizing their newborn had been taken. Still, it just goes to show Facebook and other social media can do some good. Who knows what might have happened had those girls not seen the shared alert and recognized the suspect? I'm just glad the baby is safe and sound and I applaud that group of four for helping to find her. They are heroes!
Image via CTV Montreal/Facebook
