A woman disguised as a nurse has been caught on camera allegedly snatching a newborn baby from an El Salvadoran hospital, then brazenly hiding the baby in her backpack and fleeing.
Harrowing surveillance footage showed the alleged crook nurse holding an infant in her arms as she walked through the maternity ward at San Miguel's San Juan de Dios Hospital last Saturday.
A woman wearing scrubs allegedly told the infant's mother that she was taking the infant for vaccinations.
When she arrived in the hallway, the suspect was seen calmly walking toward the exit of the hospital with the swaddled baby in a backpack and slung over his shoulder.
Police said the baby was found safe about two hours later after an extensive search.
“He is being treated by specialized doctors to rule out the possibility of injury,” El Salvador's National Civil Police said in a statement at the time.
Police said a man and a woman posing as the baby's parents were arrested.
Meanwhile, the woman who allegedly posed as a nurse is still at large, authorities added.
Police said they will continue to search for the woman who posed as a nurse and others involved.
El Salvador's President Nayib Bukele also praised the baby's recovery and subsequent arrest, posting on X: thank god. “
