Baby abducted from maternity ward as police launch desperate manhunt

French authorities have initiated an urgent search for a 17-day-old premature baby boy, Santiago, who was kidnapped from a maternity ward in a Paris hospital. The police in Seine-Saint-Denis, a department in regional Paris, issued an alert today, with calls for information being broadcast on radio, television and online platforms.

Santiago, who requires constant medical care, has blonde hair and was last seen wearing white velvet pyjamas and an oversized brown T-shirt when he was taken late Monday night from a suburban hospital. The police alert named the infant's 23-year-old father and 25-year-old mother as the sole suspects, providing photos of both and contact details for anyone with information.

French TV was dominated by the appeal this morning, with broadcasts from the Ministere de la Justice interrupting breakfast shows. One alert aired on Premiere Edition, a programme on French television channel BFM TV, appeared as scrolling text on the screen, informing viewers that the baby was abducted between 11pm and 11.30pm, reports the Mirror.

The alert further stated that the parents are suspects and urged the public to provide any information relevant to the disappearance. However, authorities have warned against approaching the suspects directly, instead urging anyone with information to contact the French authorities via phone or email in the hopes of locating the newborn.

The alert described the infant as follows: "Santiago, newborn male, aged 17 days, blond hair, wearing a brown T-shirt size 6 months and white thick velvet pajamas was taken from the maternity ward of the Robert Ballanger hospital from Aulnay-sous, Bois, Seine-Saint-Denis, on October 21, 2024, between 11pm and 11.30pm. The infant being premature, constant medical care is essential."

The alert also provided descriptions of the suspects, stating: "The suspects are his parents, a man aged 23, dressed in dark jeans, a white T-shirt, a light blue denim jacket and a black over-jacket and a woman aged 25 years old, dressed in a white sweater, a light blue sleeveless jacket and a green skirt. If you locate the child, do not intervene yourself, call 197 immediately or send an email to: pppj.alarme.elevement@interieur.gouv.fr."

According to a hospital manager who spoke to French national media service Le Parisien, the parents were seen leaving the neonatology ward with a "simple bag" after being stopped by a nurse.

When questioned, they claimed the nurse had asked if they would return by midnight, to which they replied "yes". The report stated that the parents are thought to have left the location by car, evading detection as authorities were unable to track them using surveillance.

A spokesperson for the hospital has sought to reassure the public, stating this is the "first time" such an incident has happened there and stressing that the "necessary staff" were on duty when it occurred.