Western Cape police are in search of a woman who was caught on CCTV leaving a retail store in Bishop Lavis with a newborn baby that wasn’t hers.
Bishop Lavis baby snatcher: Police are looking for this woman
In a statement, Western Cape police spokesperson Sergeant Wesley Twigg confirmed the matter has taken up high priority and is being handled by the Bishop Lavis Family Violence Child Abuse Sexual Offences Unit.
According to information received from the distressed mother who lost her two-month-old baby, the incident took place on Saturday 30 April 2022 at a busy shopping district that is situated in Cape Town’s northern suburbs.
From what we understand, the mother had left her newborn in the company of the unidentified woman. It is unclear where the mother had gone, or what the nature of her relationship with the woman was.
However, upon her return, Sgt Twigg revealed, “the suspect and the two-month-old baby were missing.”
CCTV footage from one of the retailers stores captured the woman holding the baby and, it seems, waiting for the mother to return.
Then, in the next frame, the woman is seeing staring directly into the camera, only moments before she vanishes.
The woman’s facial features could not be made out in the footage since she’s wearing a face mask.
However, it is hoped that the information provided will spark a memory and assist the Bishop Lavis Family Violence Child Abuse Sexual Offences Unit in the manhunt to track down the alleged baby snatcher.
“Anyone with any information about the incident or who can assist to trace the suspect and the baby is kindly requested to contact the investigating officer Detective Sergeant Thembisa Buqa on 073 519 3384/021 935 9806 or Crime Stop on 08600 10111,” Sgt Twigg pleaded.
This is a developing story.
