compiled by Patrick H. Moore
This is apparently the morning for heartwarming stories. Multiple news services report that an 8-month-old girl, who was kidnapped when a car thief stole her mother’s car with her strapped in the back seat — immediately triggering an Amber Alert — was miraculously found when a Vietnamese woman, who was in Houston visiting her family, made the decision to turn left rather than right while out for a morning jog, and found the infant dumped in the bushes still strapped into her car seat.
An Amber Alert is now over after a Texas baby, abducted from a gas station early this morning, was found safe near a running trail.
The mother of 8-month-old Genesis Haley stopped at the Texaco Gas Station located at 1110 North Sam Houston Parkway West in Houston. Police say she left her green Saturn Ion running with her sleeping infant in the back seat while she went inside the convenience store.
Once inside the store, the child’s mother observed the suspect get into her green vehicle and drive away, with – of course — her 8-month-old daughter still inside.
“As she’s inside, according to surveillance video, you see a blur go up to the vehicle. The car goes driving off,” said Jesus Sosa of the Houston Police Department.
The mother contacted law enforcement who issued an Amber Alert for the abducted child. A frantic search ensued and a few hours later, investigators found the car abandoned next to an apartment complex.
The car seat and little Genesis, however, were nowhere to be found, which prompted a search by air and on the ground.
Enter our heroine, Hong Nguyen. Ms. Nguyen went out for an early morning jog when she heard a baby crying from somewhere off in the bushes
Ms. Nguyen had the presence of mind to investigate after which she immediately called 911, reporting that she had heard and found a crying baby along her jogging route.
“I heard the crying baby,” Nguyen told ABC News. “I looked around and didn’t see anyone nearby, I found the baby lying in the car seat. There were a few ants on her hand, maybe a few insects.”
The police rushed to the scene and there was little Genesis strapped in the car seat there in the bushes. Houston Police Department public information officer, Victor Senties, told ABC News that Genesis was taken to Texas Children’s Hospital to be checked out and is in good condition.
The amazing thing is that Ms. Nguyen said that she normally doesn’t go jogging and that today was the first day she decided to go for a run.
“Normally I stay at home,” she said.
“I didn’t know that the baby was missing,” Nguyen said. “I was very worried and a little bit scared in that situation, so I just wanted to call the police to help me and to find the parent to get her back to her parent.”
Houston Police Officer Sosa sees it as a case of divine intervention:
“God was watching over this child. Even the witness who found the child said she decided to turn left as she was jogging. For some reason, she made a left.”
“I feel very happy and good. The baby and parent can be back together,” said Nguyen.
As of now the car thief and kidnapper still has not been apprehended. The suspect is described as a black male, about 5 feet 9 inches tall, in his late teens to early 20s. Anyone with information on the kidnapping is urged to call the police department at 713-308-3600.
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Car theft, of course, is no joke, but kidnapping is a very serious offense. The added fact that the perpetrator then abandoned the child in a mostly deserted area where it could have quickly expired, or been attacked by predators, animal or human, will surely be seen as an aggravating factor.
Meanwhile, let this be a lesson to all of us. Not only should you never leave your child in a hot SUV with the windows rolled up; you should also never leave your child alone in an unlocked vehicle, even if it’s only for a very short period of time.