Skip to main content
CNN Justice

Infant abducted at Pittsburgh hospital found; suspect arrested

By the CNN Wire Staff
updated 9:27 AM EDT, Fri August 24, 2012
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • NEW: The suspect will be charged with one count of kidnapping, police say
  • NEW: Uniform store employee says woman bought scrubs using a fake name
  • Hospital plans to review security procedures
  • Hospital official: Abduction occurred as family was preparing for infant's discharge

(CNN) -- A 3-day-old baby abducted from a Pittsburgh hospital has been reunited with his mother, and a suspect is in custody, authorities said.

Pittsburgh police recovered the baby hours after a female suspect in black scrubs and pink shoes was caught on surveillance Thursday afternoon at Magee-Womens Hospital of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

The family was preparing to be discharged when the abduction happened, said Wendy Zellner, a hospital spokeswoman.

A few hours later, Breona Moore, 19, was arrested. She will be charged with one count of kidnapping, Pittsburgh police said in a statement.

Woman who kidnapped baby 25 years ago sentenced to 12 years in prison

Breona Moore, 19, was arrested in the abduction of a baby from a Pittsburgh hospital.
Breona Moore, 19, was arrested in the abduction of a baby from a Pittsburgh hospital.

Police took Moore into custody after her relative tipped them off to a Facebook post where she claimed she had a baby Monday. The anonymous tip led police to a downtown building, where they arrested her and found the baby.

As she was transported from the squad car to the police headquarters, Moore yelled, "Guess what mom? It's all your fault!" CNN affiliate WPXI filmed her shouting. "I'm telling you, it wasn't just me!"

Moore's final comment to reporters before police removed her was, "It's a lot when you lose a child."

Physicians examined the infant and found him to be in good health, hospital officials said.

"We'd like to thank the police, the FBI and our staff for their great and rapid work to bring this incident to a successful conclusion," hospital President Leslie Davis said in a statement. "We will be reviewing this event to see what improvements could be made in our security procedures."

On discovering the baby's disappearance, hospital employees immediately notified police and implemented security procedures, according to Zellner.

Who would steal a baby, and why?

The suspect had bought hospital scrubs at a uniform store that morning and provided a fake name, police said.

Baby abductions by nonfamily members at hospitals are rare. Before Thursday, there had been 131 cases since 1983, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Of those, 126 infants were found.

More from CNN Justice:

John Lennon's killer denied parole again

NYPD employees disciplined over racist FB comments

Strauss-Kahn settlement talks under way, source says

E-mail threat to president spurs quick arrest

CNN's Elwyn Lopez and Jack Maddox contributed to this report.

ADVERTISEMENT
Part of complete coverage on
CNN Recommends
updated 10:26 AM EST, Wed February 6, 2013
Advocates say the exam includes unnecessarily invasive and irrelevant procedures -- like a so-called "two finger" test.
updated 7:09 PM EST, Tue February 5, 2013
Supplies of food, clothing and fuel are running short in Damascus and people are going hungry as the civil war drags on.
updated 1:01 PM EST, Wed February 6, 2013
Supporters of Richard III want a reconstruction of his head to bring a human aspect to a leader portrayed as a murderous villain.
updated 10:48 AM EST, Tue February 5, 2013
Robert Fowler spent 130 days held hostage by the same al Qaeda group that was behind the Algeria massacre. He shares his experience.
updated 12:07 AM EST, Wed February 6, 2013
As "We are the World" plays, a video shows what looks like a nuclear attack on the U.S. Jim Clancy reports on a bizarre video from North Korea.
The relationship is, once again, cold enough to make Obama's much-trumpeted "reset" in Russian-U.S. relations seem thoroughly off the rails.
Ten years on, what do you think the Iraq war has changed in you, and in your country? Send us your thoughts and experiences.
updated 7:15 AM EST, Tue February 5, 2013
Musician Daniela Mercury has sold more than 12 million albums worldwide over a career span of nearly 30 years.
Photojournalist Alison Wright travelled the world to capture its many faces in her latest book, "Face to Face: Portraits of the Human Spirit."
updated 7:06 PM EST, Tue February 5, 2013
Europol claims 380 soccer matches, including top level ones, were fixed - as the scandal widens, CNN's Dan Rivers looks at how it's done.
updated 7:37 AM EST, Wed February 6, 2013
That galaxy far, far away is apparently bigger than first thought. The "Star Wars" franchise will get two spinoff movies, Disney announced.
updated 2:18 AM EST, Fri February 8, 2013
It's an essential part of any trip, an activity we all take part in. Yet almost none of us are any good at it. Souvenir buying is too often an obligatory slog.
ADVERTISEMENT