Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Urgent search in Paris after 17-day-old premature baby abducted from hospital

The boy, called Santiago, needs constant medical care

Rich Booth
Tuesday 22 October 2024 12:39 BST
Comments
This photograph shows an entrance of the Robert Ballanger hospital in Aulnay-sous-Bois
This photograph shows an entrance of the Robert Ballanger hospital in Aulnay-sous-Bois (AFP via Getty Images)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Police in France are hunting for a 17-day-old prematurely born baby boy who was abducted from the maternity ward.

The child was taken from a Paris-region hospital, with his parents identified as the chief suspects.

The Interior Ministry gave the following description: “a man aged 23, dressed in dark jeans, a white T-shirt, a light blue denim jacket and a black overcoat, and a woman aged 25, dressed in a white jumper, a light blue sleeveless jacket and a green skirt.”

Police issued an alert with appeals for information broadcast on radio, television and online.

It said the boy, called Santiago, needs constant medical care.

Officers said he has blond hair and was dressed in white velvet pyjamas and an oversized brown T-shirt when he was abducted on Monday night from a hospital in Paris’ northern suburban region of Seine-Saint-Denis.

The police alert identified the baby‘s 23-year-old father and 25-year-old mother as the only suspects and included photos of them both.

The suspects are the boy’s parents, a 23-year-old man wearing dark jeans, a white T-shirt, a light blue denim jacket and a black overcoat, and a 25-year-old woman wearing a white jumper, a light blue sleeveless jacket and a green skirt
The suspects are the boy’s parents, a 23-year-old man wearing dark jeans, a white T-shirt, a light blue denim jacket and a black overcoat, and a 25-year-old woman wearing a white jumper, a light blue sleeveless jacket and a green skirt (MINISTERE DE L'INTERIEUR/AFP via)

A manager at the Robert-Ballanger hospital told newspaper Le Parisien that he had seen the parents leaving the neonatology department when they were stopped by a nurse.

‘Without a baby in their arms or in a stroller, the couple was only equipped with a simple bag, which did not attract the attention of the hospital staff who were used to seeing parents carrying clothes for their newborn,’ the manager said.

A phone number and an email address were provided for people to contact with information.

Anyone who comes across the parents should call 197 (the national alert number) immediately, or email the Interior Ministry’s alert team at pppj.alerte.enlevement@interieur.gouv.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in