Police arrested a woman Tuesday on suspicion of attempting to kidnap an infant from Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Dinesti Selmon, 21, has been charged with seven counts of attempted kidnapping and criminal trespassing, local news outlet WGEM reported. report.
Baton Rouge police said Selmon allegedly left the hospital for several weeks and somehow obtained access cards that gave him access to various parts of the building.
Police said Selmon was walking through the hospital when he found the baby in a room without the parents present. Investigators later learned the baby was in intensive care and his parents no longer lived in Baton Rouge, the report said.
“She may have thought it was a perfect opportunity to go in and act like this child was hers,” said Sgt. Darren Ahmed of the Baton Rouge Police Department said.
Police said Selmon was able to learn the baby’s medical history by reading the medical records. Selmon then allegedly told her boyfriend that the baby was born while she was traveling around town and that the baby needed treatment in Baton Rouge.
“She even took the young man to the hospital to see several doctors, trying to set up false or fictitious medical appointments for the child,” Ahmed said.
Police said the boyfriend became suspicious when he arrived at the hospital and saw that the name written on the door did not match the name Selmon had given him. The boyfriend then alerted a family friend of hers, who is her nurse, the report said.
“Apparently she claims that the girlfriend he is supposedly dating has provided him with false information and made up a fictitious story about a child that is absolutely not his and that she probably hasn’t even had a child.” I think they realized that,” said Ahmed.
Police said the hospital then became aware of the security breach. When Selmon and her boyfriend returned to the hospital with their family, security confronted them and asked for Selmon’s identification, the report said. Her security guard collected her access card and asked her to leave.
“Selmon was arrested in Shreveport more than two weeks later,” the report said.
However, Selmon never removed the baby from the hospital room, police said.
Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital thanked police in a statement.
“Our Lady of the Lake Children’s Hospital is committed to providing best-in-class pediatric care and bringing a spirit of healing to our patients and communities,” the statement reads. “We value the trust our communities place in us in the care of children across the state, and patient safety is one of our top priorities. Thank you to law enforcement. All other questions should be directed to the Baton Rouge Police Department.”
