Police are looking for additional information about last week's abduction and safe recovery of a 4-month-old baby.
The baby's cousin, Kabriana Harper, 17, was arrested on an allegation of second-degree kidnapping for allegedly taking the baby from his home in the 200 block of Southeast 148th Avenue early Monday, March 5. Nearly five hours later, a woman found the baby in her front yard in the 400 block of Northeast 139th Avenue.
Detectives are asking anyone who may have been a witness, or who may have additional information about the case, to contact Detective Mike Weinstein, with the Portland Police Bureau's Missing Persons Unit, at 503-823-0446 or at Mike.Weinstein@PortlandOregon.gov.
The baby's mother called police from her apartment at 2 a.m. after getting out of the shower to find that her baby and her cousin, who'd been staying with her, were gone. The woman called Harper to see if she had the baby, but Harper denied having him. Police began an extensive search of the area, located in the Hazelwood neighborhood, and questioned Harper later when she returned to the apartment.
Then, at around 7 a.m., a woman about six blocks away found the baby wearing only a onesie and a loosely wrapped blanket in her front yard. He was cold but uninjured and was evaluated at a Portland hospital.
Harper reportedly told police she took the baby because she feared for his welfare and safety. She admitted to police that she left the baby in the stranger's yard when relatives called to see if she had him.
According to the National Weather Service, temperatures dipped as low as 29 degrees in Portland while the baby was missing.