An 8-month-old baby that was missing after a Houston-area carjacking was found by a jogger Monday and safely reunited with her mother.
Eight-month-old Gensis Haley was found in a grassy field on the north side of Houston by
jogger Hong Nguyen at about 8 a.m. Monday, KHOU-TV reported, five hours after an Amber Alert was issued for the child.
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"That's my duty as a human being to do that," Nguyen told the news station. "I can't believe — it was so scary to see that situation."
According to police, the baby’s mother had stopped at a gas station and left her vehicle running while she went to pay for a soft drink. The car was still running with the keys in the ignition when the suspect got into the car and drove off. The mother tried to chase the vehicle but was unsuccessful and couldn’t get store staff or customers to call 911 for her.
“The mother had locked all the doors except for the driver’s side door. She told us she left the car running because the baby was asleep,” HPD Homicide Division Officer Shaun Sylvester told KHOU-TV. “The mother was inside the store for a matter of seconds when the suspect took the car. He was actually in such a hurry he left the driver’s door open while he fled.”
Authorities were able to find the car a short time later, just a few miles away from where it was stolen, but the baby wasn’t in the vehicle.
"I don't know what kind of an animal would do this to a child,"
said Lt. H. Lopez, according to CNN. "It's a good reminder for the public not to leave their vehicles running, especially with a baby inside."
The baby, found crying in some tall grass near an industrial park, was in good condition with a few ant bites. She was taken to a local hospital for evaluation.
"Once I saw that she was moving and appeared OK, I took her out of the car seat, held her, and just tried to console her,” HPD Officer Albert Pizana told KHOU-TV.
After that, Pizana and his partner took the child to their patrol vehicle where they tried to comfort her.
“Once inside the patrol vehicle, she was still fussy. Being a father, I know sometimes babies like to be swaddled. Since I didn’t have a blanket, I decided to use my uniform shirt and that calmed her down,” Pizana said.
The suspect, a black male in his late teens or early 20s, about 5-feet, 9-inches tall, hadn't been located by police as of Tuesday.
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