“I’ll start with a little history. Between 1983 and 2010, there were 271 cases of infant abductions reported to the authorities. Of these, 47 percent occurred in hospitals—with almost 60 percent of those babies being taken from the mother’s hospital room—compared to 40 percent taken once the baby reached home; the remaining cases occurred in various other places. This may sound like a lot and it may scare you, but statistics also show that 95 percent of the children abducted were rescued safely.
“In infant kidnappings, the suspect is usually a woman—many times an overweight woman. This allows for a fake pregnancy. The suspect may have impersonated a nurse or some other health care employee, and she may have visited Memorial on a prior occasion.”
Pete groaned. “That means reviewing more hospital security recordings.”
Wiley went on. “We find that the motives for an infant kidnap can be divided into two main camps. The most common is to replace a baby the woman recently lost. The second is the need in the woman’s life to validate a lie. By that I mean there are women who will lie about being pregnant to keep a hold on a significant other. When their nine months are up, they need to produce a child and often seek to take a child from a hospital or private setting to prove they were pregnant.”
“I have a problem with that one,” Nelson said. “A.J. is an older child; it would be impossible to pass him off as a newborn.”
“Yes, I’ve noted that. We don’t have enough information to say with certainty the motive behind this abduction. A profile is a guide, not a hard-and-fast rule. We’ve not received a ransom request or any indication there will be one, so it’s safe to consider other motives.
“Add more neighborhood canvasses to your to-do list,” Wiley continued. “The suspect is likely from the area and plans to raise the child as her own. And while she may have planned the kidnapping carefully, it’s rare that such an individual targets a specific infant.”
“You mean A.J. was just the lucky one?” Carly said, unable to hide the bitterness she felt.
“Correct. But the odds are that the suspect will care for the child as if he were her own. The parents can take solace in that statistic at least.”
• • •
“Do you feel any better now?” Pete asked Carly as they walked out of the station.
“You mean because of the profile?” She shrugged. “In a way, but we already know our suspect is not overweight. That being said, I guess chances are good A.J. is being taken care of, but the longer he’s gone the colder the trail gets.”
“I know we’ll find the kid.”
“I hope you’re right. And I’ll let Joe in on the profile.”
After they said good-bye, Carly hopped in her car and headed for the hospital. Lord, I’m the one who’s supposed to have hope and stay positive. I know you’re in control. But everything seems to be going nowhere. Please keep the baby safe and give us a break somewhere.
Before heading for Christy’s room, Carly stopped to check on Andrea, see how she was doing. But her roommate was nowhere to be seen; her name wasn’t even on the duty board. Granted, Carly hadn’t checked her schedule on the fridge that morning—maybe this was one of Andi’s days off—but the uneasy feeling in her gut returned. She continued on to visit with Joe.
Carly poked her head into the room and caught Joe finishing a burger. “Hey, partner.” He was alone with his wife, and she guessed his parents had gone to get some rest.
“Hi, it’s good to see you today.” As he hugged her, she noticed he’d finally shaved and looked as though he’d gotten some sleep. She was also happy to see that Christy was in a private room away from critical care. The monitors were beeping with normal vital readings, and she appeared to simply be resting. “She’s better.” Joe seemed to read Carly’s thoughts. “All the doctors agree the worst is over and she’ll
“In infant kidnappings, the suspect is usually a woman—many times an overweight woman. This allows for a fake pregnancy. The suspect may have impersonated a nurse or some other health care employee, and she may have visited Memorial on a prior occasion.”
Pete groaned. “That means reviewing more hospital security recordings.”
Wiley went on. “We find that the motives for an infant kidnap can be divided into two main camps. The most common is to replace a baby the woman recently lost. The second is the need in the woman’s life to validate a lie. By that I mean there are women who will lie about being pregnant to keep a hold on a significant other. When their nine months are up, they need to produce a child and often seek to take a child from a hospital or private setting to prove they were pregnant.”
“I have a problem with that one,” Nelson said. “A.J. is an older child; it would be impossible to pass him off as a newborn.”
“Yes, I’ve noted that. We don’t have enough information to say with certainty the motive behind this abduction. A profile is a guide, not a hard-and-fast rule. We’ve not received a ransom request or any indication there will be one, so it’s safe to consider other motives.
“Add more neighborhood canvasses to your to-do list,” Wiley continued. “The suspect is likely from the area and plans to raise the child as her own. And while she may have planned the kidnapping carefully, it’s rare that such an individual targets a specific infant.”
“You mean A.J. was just the lucky one?” Carly said, unable to hide the bitterness she felt.
“Correct. But the odds are that the suspect will care for the child as if he were her own. The parents can take solace in that statistic at least.”
• • •
“Do you feel any better now?” Pete asked Carly as they walked out of the station.
“You mean because of the profile?” She shrugged. “In a way, but we already know our suspect is not overweight. That being said, I guess chances are good A.J. is being taken care of, but the longer he’s gone the colder the trail gets.”
“I know we’ll find the kid.”
“I hope you’re right. And I’ll let Joe in on the profile.”
After they said good-bye, Carly hopped in her car and headed for the hospital. Lord, I’m the one who’s supposed to have hope and stay positive. I know you’re in control. But everything seems to be going nowhere. Please keep the baby safe and give us a break somewhere.
Before heading for Christy’s room, Carly stopped to check on Andrea, see how she was doing. But her roommate was nowhere to be seen; her name wasn’t even on the duty board. Granted, Carly hadn’t checked her schedule on the fridge that morning—maybe this was one of Andi’s days off—but the uneasy feeling in her gut returned. She continued on to visit with Joe.
Carly poked her head into the room and caught Joe finishing a burger. “Hey, partner.” He was alone with his wife, and she guessed his parents had gone to get some rest.
“Hi, it’s good to see you today.” As he hugged her, she noticed he’d finally shaved and looked as though he’d gotten some sleep. She was also happy to see that Christy was in a private room away from critical care. The monitors were beeping with normal vital readings, and she appeared to simply be resting. “She’s better.” Joe seemed to read Carly’s thoughts. “All the doctors agree the worst is over and she’ll
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