With the help of social media and four quick thinking friends, a new born baby girl was safely returned to her parents after being abducted Monday night in Trois-Rivières, Quebec.
According to Quebec provincial police, a woman dressed as a nurse showed up at the maternity ward at the Trois-Rivières hospital Monday night. She entered the mother’s room, took the baby from her and left.
In less than two hours, news of the abduction hit social media. Quebec provincial police took to Twitter and issued an Amber Alert to news broadcasters an hour later.
The Amber Alert included details of the missing baby, a photo of the possible suspect taken from a security camera and a description of her vehicle, a red Totoya Yaris hatchback with a "Bébé à Bord" (Baby on Board) sticker.”
The four friends – Mélizanne Bergeron, her sister Sharelle, Marc-Andre Coté and Charlène Plante – managed to track down the suspect after seeing her photo posted on Facebook.
Plante said she recognized the suspect as her former neighbour. They drove to the building where the suspect lived and contacted the police when they spotted a red car with a Baby on Board sign parked outside.
Bergeron said it’s a moment she’ll never forget. “Thirty seconds after the baby was in the hands of the police…it was the best moment in my life. We were crying,” she told the media.
The mother of the baby, Melissa McMahon, posted a message Tuesday on her Facebook page, thanking hospital staff, police, the media and the public. “Every click, every share made the difference,” said McMahon.
McMahon also asked that the public spread her latest message: “Thanks again and share one more time, please.”
