Santiago, a premature baby born 17 days ago, was abducted from a maternity hospital in Aulnay-sous-Bois, in Seine-Saint-Denis, on the night of Monday to Tuesday. The parents, suspected of having kidnapped the child, could be in Belgium according to the public prosecutor.
A newborn baby was abducted and is being actively sought this Tuesday, October 22. A kidnapping alert has been triggered by the authorities. The child being sought is a little boy named Santiago and is 17 days old. He has blond hair and is dressed in “a size 6-month brown T-shirt and white, thick velvet pajamas” according to the description in the alert. The little boy was abducted from the maternity ward of the Robert Ballanger hospital in Aulnay-sous-Bois, in Seine-Saint-Denis, on the night of Monday, October 21, between 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. The child, born premature, requires constant and essential medical care. Without care, he is at great risk and may not survive.
Santiago's parents are the main suspects in the kidnapping. They are a 23-year-old man, “dressed in dark jeans, a white T-shirt, a light blue denim jacket and a black overcoat”, and a 25-year-old woman, “dressed in a white sweater, a light blue sleeveless jacket and a green skirt”. The couple “could have reached Belgium with the baby during the night” after leaving the hospital by car, the Bobigny public prosecutor said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon. The investigation is continuing to find the child and is taking place “in conjunction with the Belgian judicial and police authorities in particular”. While the parents are being sought, five people have been arrested on the morning of October 22, aged 16 to 29, none of them are relatives of the child. They were all taken into custody for “organized gang kidnapping of a 15-year-old minor”. Searches were conducted at the home of the parents of infants.
Anyone with information, who witnessed something or who has located the child is asked to immediately call 0 800 36 32 68 or send an email to alerte-enlevement@gendarmerie.interieur.gouv.fr. The authorities remind that it is not advisable to intervene yourself, but to warn them as quickly as possible.
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17:21 – An emergency placement order ordered
An emergency placement order for the infant was issued by the Bobigny public prosecutor's office on the morning of Tuesday, October 22, 2024, according to the public prosecutor. Before the abduction, no placement had been ordered by the courts. The parents and Santiago are still being actively sought.
16:19 – People aged 16 to 29 arrested
The five people arrested this Tuesday morning after the announcement of the child's abduction are aged between 16 and 29, the public prosecutor specified in his press release. But none of them are one of the parents of the infant. The father and mother of the child are still wanted, including at abroad and more particularly in Belgium.
16:06 – The parents left the hospital with three other people in the car
The use of video surveillance images did not allow the car's route to be identified, but it did inform investigators that the child's two parents left the hospital the hospital with “a black shopping bag, possibly in a light-coloured vehicle, with three other individuals on board”.
200% Deposit Bonus up to €3,000 180% First Deposit Bonus up to $20,000More than 15 hours after the child's abduction, the Bobigny public prosecutor announced this Tuesday afternoon that Santiago's parents “could have reached Belgium with the baby during the night”. As a result, a European investigation decision was sent “without delay” to the Belgian authorities. "The criminal investigation into flagrante delicto is continuing very actively, in particular in conjunction with the Belgian judicial and police authorities", added the prosecutor.
14:01 – The parents' management not identified by the cameras
The CCTV footage filmed by cameras around the hospital did not “make it possible to identify the direction taken by the car in which the parents disappeared with their infant,” the management of the establishment also told Le Parisien. The management added that “this is the first time that such a kidnapping has occurred in Ballanger.” Anticipating questions about security or the sufficient presence of health personnel, At the time of the events, management stated that “the necessary staff” were present in the neonatology department.
13:47 – Baby hidden in bag to leave hospital ?
The parents of Santiago, the premature baby who was the subject of an abduction alert, were at the Robert-Ballanger hospital in Aulnay-sous-Bois on Monday evening. They were “leaving the neonatology department when they were” questioned by a nurse who wanted to know if they would be back for the midnight bottle. They answered in the affirmative,” the management of the establishment specified to Parisien. The couple was then “without a baby in their arms, nor in a stroller, [and] equipped with only a simple bag, which did not attract the attention of hospital staff accustomed to seeing parents carrying clothes for their newborn”, adds the management. In light of this information, investigators suspect the parents of having abducted the infant hidden in the bag.
According to information from BFMTV, which cites a source close to the investigation, five people were arrested in the Livry-Gargan area. They are members of the family of little Santiago's parents. The police are holding them in police custody for “kidnapping by an organized gang”.
11:47 – 12 hours after the abduction, the child has still not been found
Abducted from a maternity hospital in Aulnay-sous-Bois between 11 p.m. and 11:30 p.m. yesterday evening, the 17-day-old baby has still not been found this Tuesday at midday, a police source reports to BFMTV. It has been more than 12 hours since the child was abducted and his life could be in danger if he has been deprived of care for that long, according to the same source.
11:42 – The suspected parents are known to the police
Santiago's parents are the main suspects according to the authorities. Aged 23 and 25, they are both known to the police and the courts according to information from BFMTV which does not specify the reasons for which the individuals are known. It is specified that no legal measures concerning the placement of the child have been taken.
The abduction of Santiago, a 17-day-old very premature baby, represents a “significant” risk for the survival of the child if the latter is outside a hospital structure. Extremely premature, the child was born almost two months early, a source close to the case told BFMTV. He needs constant care for several more weeks.