Police in Metro Manila recovered a newborn baby days after the infant was taken from a hospital by a woman who allegedly pretended to be a medical staff member, authorities confirmed on Tuesday.
According to Marikina City Police chief P/Colonel Jenny Tecson, the baby—born on Christmas Day—was returned to the child’s biological mother following an intensive investigation that traced the suspect’s movements across neighboring areas.
Tecson addressed the case during a joint press conference with Health Secretary Ted Herbosa and the director of the Amang Rodriguez Memorial Medical Center, where officials outlined how the incident unfolded and how law enforcement coordinated with hospital authorities after the child was reported missing.
Investigators said the suspect wore a scrub suit and falsely presented herself as a nurse when she took the baby from the hospital the day after the birth. Police later identified the woman as a former overseas Filipino worker.
Through backtracking and follow-up operations, officers located the suspect in Barangay Pinagbuhatan, Pasig, where the baby was recovered on the evening of December 29, according to authorities.
Police said the suspect admitted she took the child because she wanted relatives to believe she had recently given birth. She reportedly told investigators that she had experienced three miscarriages, with the most recent occurring on December 26.
