SANFORD, Fla. – A woman, who abducted a one-day-old baby from Central Florida Regional Hospital March 28, was released from Seminole County jail as long as she wears a GPS ankle monitor.
Police said Jennifer Latham, 39, had changed into hospital scrubs to resemble a hospital employee and then proceeded to take a newborn from the nursery. Latham was thwarted by the child’s parents, which led her to take another child from the area.
Latham’s abduction of the infant prompted the alarm to set off; however, she was able to exit the building without being captured.
A few hours after the alarm went off, Sanford police contacted additional law enforcement agencies informing them about the abduction. The hospital was also placed on lockdown; however, when it was determined the suspect was no longer in the vicinity, it was lifted.
Authorities had a partial license tag and description of Latham’s vehicle. With that information, they were able to obtain her driver’s license photo. Police then compared the license photo with the footage from the security cameras and deduced that it was the same person.
According to ABC News, Latham’s family members believed the suspect to be nine months pregnant. As she was pulled over by police, she tried to convince officers that she had just given birth to the abducted child.
Investigators are looking to see if Latham has any criminal records in other states in order to get the judge to reverse the decision and send her to jail.
According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, about 120 infants have been abducted from hospitals in the last 20 years.
