Grandmother arrested after abducting 10-day-old granddaughter from hospital and heading north in Italy, suspected of planning to reach Romania

Italian police have arrested a Romanian-born woman suspected of taking her 10-day-old granddaughter without authorization from a hospital in the province of Caserta before driving north.

The incident occurred on the evening of Sunday, August 9. According to preliminary findings from the investigation, the grandmother entered the hospital where her daughter was being treated and took the baby from her cot without informing medical staff or the authorities.

After being alerted by the Caserta mobile squad, traffic police began searching for the vehicle. A day later, after the car’s license plates were identified, a traffic police patrol in Florence located and stopped it on the A1 motorway.

The baby, who was just 10 days old, was also found inside the vehicle. The woman was arrested, while an investigating judge in Tuscany upheld the detention order.

Investigators suspect that she intended to leave Italy, cross the border and take refuge in Romania with the baby.