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Breaking News

Texas Police May Have Suspect in Custody and Baby Returned

Aired August 14, 2002 - 13:54   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: All right, Texas police may actually have a suspect in custody and a baby returned after a widely reported kidnapping case in Abilene, Texas today, but that may not be the case.
Susan Candiotti just broke the story about a half hour ago, and hopefully she's got more details -- Susan.

SUSAN CANDIOTTI, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Carol.

Well, certainly, it does appear more and more that this is a very, very hopeful sign indeed, that in fact police have recovered the baby who was unhurt and have a woman in custody that they are currently questioning. They have not yet determined for sure whether they have -- this is a positive identification of the baby that was kidnapped from practically the arms of her mother, but left in the vehicle of a parking lot in Wal-Mart in Abilene, Texas late yesterday.

What is happening now is that this is a town in north Texas called Juana, Texas, somewhat near the panhandle, and way due north of Abilene, where the kidnapping occurred.

Police pulled over this car, because in part it matched the description of the kidnapping vehicle. It was involved in that baby snatch. The woman inside had a baby with her. I'm told by law enforcement sources that the story that this woman was giving just didn't add up. And that additionally, there were some physical characteristics of the baby that made them think also that this is the baby indeed who had been kidnapped. And so they took the baby's footprint, and at this hour, they are waiting for the arrival of at least one FBI agent who is flying to the area, armed with the baby's footprint, born in the hospital just a month ago, to see whether in fact they can get a positive ID.

They can't get the mother up there, because evidently, she is not feeling very well after what she went through yesterday. You recall, Carol, she ran after the woman who had snatched her baby, who was sitting in a car seat in her vehicle in the parking lot, while the mother went away to just return a shopping cart. And her children were in the car, three children, and the kidnapper allegedly took just the baby. And the mother ran after the car and was dragged by the car for at least 30 feet.

In any case, it does appear to be a very hopeful sign that not only the car, but indeed baby's physical characteristics match the one taken.

LIN: This would be great news indeed. We are waiting for confirmation, but we will keep our fingers crossed.

Thank you very much, Susan Candiotti reporting live on this breaking news. Hopefully the case has been resolved out of Abilene, Texas.

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