A day old baby who was abducted by a 21-year-old woman from a hospital in Quebec, Canada has been found, thanks to the efforts of four friends who helped the police, reports ABC News . The four people, who are now being hailed as local heroes, are Charlene Plante, Marc-Andre Cote, Sharelle Bergeron and Melizanne Bergeron. The four friends offered vital clues to the police, and the abducted baby was found within hours of her disappearance.
It all started on Monday evening. According to the baby’s mother, a woman wearing scrubs entered her room at around 7 pm local time posing as a nurse and asked for the baby, claiming she wanted to weigh her.
Suspecting no foul play, the mother handed over the baby to the woman, who then vanished with the newborn. Within minutes, the mother realized that her baby had been abducted and the police were called in.
Taking note of the seriousness of the matter, an Amber Alert was issued. Luckily, a video image from surveillance cameras inside the hospital clearly captured the face of the alleged kidnapper. A screen grab showing the suspect’s face and details of her car was flashed across the area and posted on Facebook.
It was the Facebook post that captured the attention of Melizanne Bergeron, while the four friends were hanging out on Monday night. She showed the post, which had the face of the suspect, to her friend Charlene, who immediately recognized the woman as her former neighbor.
The four friends — Mélizanne Bergeron, her twin sister Sharelle, Marc-Andre Coté and Charlène Plante then decided they should go look for the car. The group went to the building where the neighbor lived and to their surprise, found the car from the Facebook post parked outside. The vehicle even had a ‘Baby on Board’ sign that matched the Amber Alert description.
Noticing the patio door of the house was open, they assumed the suspect was still inside. They immediately called the police, who responded within minutes.
The police managed to quickly rescue the baby from the suspect, after which they asked the rescuers to accompany them to the hospital, where the baby’s parents, Simon and McMahon Bosclair, were waiting anxiously.
The mother and father of baby Victoria thanked everyone who helped find their child. The much relieved mom said the time without her baby was simply unbearable. The rescuers and the family later posed for pictures that were posted to their respective Facebook pages.
The group of friends who helped find the baby are now being celebrated as local heroes.
[Image via LaPresse]