Pittsburgh police launched a five-hour search yesterday afternoon after workers at Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC reported that a woman dressed in hospital scrubs had taken a 3-day-old baby from the lobby. Police eventually found Bryce Coleman in the stairwell of a downtown building with 19-year-old Breona Moore of McKeesport.
Police say it is unclear if there are any ties between Moore and Bryce Coleman’s parents.
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center spokeswoman Susan Manko said the abduction occurred as the infant's family was preparing to leave the hospital with the baby. The baby's emergency alert identification tag had been removed about 45 minutes earlier in the mothers room.
Pittsburgh police spokeswoman Diane Richards said a state-wide alert was issued and the man hunt began without a suspect. Authorities say they were able to track Moore to the building on 4th avenue after a family member called police because the family believed the woman had lied about her pregnancy.
Pittsburgh police Commander Thomas Stangrecki said Moore bought a set of scrubs under a fake name Thursday morning. The baby's family says Moore claimed to be a nurse taking him for a final check-up before discharge.
The child is said to be in good health. Charges are still pending against Moore.
“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. We will be reviewing this event to see what improvements could be made in our security procedures,” said Leslie Davis, president of Magee-Womens Hospital of UPMC.
