Kidnapped Missouri Baby Found Alive

Birthmark Proves Lucky As Woman Recognizes It From News Reports

(CBS/AP)  Authorities say a baby girl abducted last Friday from her small town Missouri home was found alive Tuesday in excellent condition, and a woman who had recently miscarried is under arrest - accused of slashing the throat of the baby's mother, and then stealing the child.

Dr. Peter McCarthy, an emergency room physician at St. John's Hospital in Washington, Mo., says 11-day-old Abigale Lynn Woods has been reunited with her mother, father and other relatives.

"The family is elated and thankful to everyone in the community who prayed for them,' McCarthy said. "The baby was hydrated, nourished and in good condition when she arrived at the hospital."

FBI agent Roland Corvington identified the suspect as Shannon Beck, who lives a few miles from the Lonedell, Mo., home of the mother and baby. The exact charges she will face have yet to be announced.

The case broke when Beck's sister-in-law, Dorothy Torrez, contacted authorities.

“She's the hero,” Franklin County Sheriff Gary Toelke said. “She's the one that made it happen.”

On Sunday, Beck contacted Torrez to say she had given birth, Corvington said. Beck had been pregnant but apparently miscarried shortly before her own child was to be born.

Torrez visited Beck on Monday and urged her to take the child to a doctor, the FBI agent said. Beck agreed, and Torrez accompanied her to St. Louis on Tuesday, about 45 miles away.

Torrez noticed what appeared to be makeup on the baby's forehead, Corvington said. When she rubbed the forehead, makeup came off what was covering a small birthmark.

In publicizing the abduction, police had described Abby's strawberry-red birthmark. Her suspicions aroused, Torrez confronted Beck, who gave her the baby, Corvington said.

Torrez contacted police, and the baby was handed over to authorities around 5 p.m. Tuesday.

“An outstanding ending, obviously,” Toelke said.

Toelke said the county prosecutor would address criminal charges on Wednesday. It wasn't immediately clear where Shannon Beck was or whether she had a lawyer.

The family has declined to speak with the media.

The child's mother, 21-year-old Stephenie Ochsenbine, told police Friday a woman entered her rural home, attacked her with a knife and stole the baby, who was a week old at the time.

Police had received more than 500 leads in the investigation. On Tuesday, they gave the baby's father, James Woods, a polygraph test, which he passed.

The abductor had been profiled as someone who had a child die recently or as someone who could not have children, told people she was pregnant and needed to steal a child so her lie would not be found out.

[noni38]

From the description of the person who did this, it sounds possible to me that this is could be a transgendered individual, or a "butch" ***. Also I wonder if the perp. could be male. I'm sure the police and the FBI have thought of this already. It might be helpful to oversee places where ***/transgendered people gather, such as churches, bars,clubs, etc. Surely someone has bragged to someone else about "my new baby." Supplies will have to be purchased, and it seems to me that more than one individual must be involved. I hope this is cleared up as quickly as possible, and that the baby is safely returned to her family.

[projectsafekids]

Project Safekids has been maintaining round the clock updates of this story.

Suspect Sketch just released on our website.

http://www.projectsafekids.org/mowoods.html

[max_grandeur]

'Abby' and her mother Ms. Ochsenbine will be in my thoughts and prayers until 'Abby' is found and returned to her mother.

[mizb29]

After looking at the sketch of the person believed to be responsible i am too wondering if this is a transgendered person. If you cover the top half of the persons face it looks like a man. Also the eyebrows sure look male to me. My prayers are for the family of the kidnapped baby and hope for a safe and fast return.

[lms27]

I am thinking that this woman is not transgendered but suffers from PCOS. Some of the symptoms include excess weight, facial hair and infertility.

[wewhitt]

I%u2019m thinking this a male in a female disguise. Possibly this person is a skinny man that dressed up in a fat suit. The facial hair is shaved %u2026 and if it%u2019s anything like most adult males %u2026 he is going to have %u201Cstubble%u201D at 5PM %u2026 especially if dark haired. Also, the hate in the crime sounds male to me as well. Stabbing her, and then cutting her throat sounds pretty vicious %u2026 like a typical male criminal. The reason the mother is still alive leads to a good possibility that the male is a skinny man %u2026 due to the fact there is no upper body strength to have, (thank God), finished the job. I would be looking for a small man buying baby supplies in a 30 mile radius of the attack. Not to sound to blunt, but maybe a white man with a black child %u2026 leads to %u201Ceasy to spot couples%u201D in grocery stores and mall surveillance. I would also gather he is working in conjunction with a black female.

[wewhitt]

The %u2019 is an apostophe ... sorry for the hard to read post.

[gosecrets]

I'm not sure if this is a man or woman / how ever I think you need to go back before you can go forward (the baby is only ten day's old) she /he had to have the address that means the hospital (anyone there) anyone at all with short hair maybe he put a bra on and raised his voice.. but I do not beleive this was ramdom. Check the Hospital staff all of them men and woman. I hope and pray they find you soon little one.

[nodumbbunny]

My thoughts: Seems odd that a woman/transgender/man who was said to have weighed 200 pounds would have such a thin face. Maybe they wore padding to disguise themselves? JMO

[photosbyshan]

I cannot even begin to imagine the horror this family is going through, I just pray they find her soon.

[juliehg-2009]

I hate to be cynical, but has the mother been completely eliminated as a suspect? Were her injuries proven to be NOT self-inflicted? Similar incidents have occurred over the last several years, and unfortunately the child's disappearance has been traced back to a parent.

[gmond]

I have to laugh at some of the comments here. The sketch was done using a computer program that any moron can use, no need for artistic talent or perception. If it looks more like a man than a woman that is because all of the facial choices are generic.

[kbkeeley]

Looks like a man to me too, and I'm surprised that the amber alert doesn't mention this possibility. Why would a woman be wearing a black scarf around the neck in such hot weather? Perhaps the scarf was used to disguise a man's adams apple/beard. The hat and sunglasses look suspicious too. I think the hair is a wig. I agree that they should look for a man.

[photosbyshan]

I am so happy that this story has a happy ending, they have been in my thoughts constantly! I hope everyone is well and recovering quickly.

[jettskiman]

Nice work on this one. I new someone was going to call in and give her up. They should take her out behind the police station and shoot her.

[midluvsdream]

I know that a lot of people want this women punished ,yet they have forgotten she wouldn't have stolen the child unless she had deep psychological problems in the first place .

[toc246]

God bless little Abigale!!! So thrilled for the parents and grandparents!

[silentwolf59]

Glad to hear such a happy ending! I am very happy for her parents and family.

[rhiannoncg]

My comment is about the "Amber Alerts" in my area. I don't know how they are set up in other areas but the ones given here are so very vague. I saw the alert go across the tv and all it said was an 8 day old baby had been kidnapped by a woman with dark hair. Okay, well.......where was the baby taken from? I had been out running errands all day and I thought if they could have given a location then maybe I could have racked my brain to see if I may have seen anything. The alert here didn't even say anything about a birthmark.......now there is something I definitely would have noticed on a child. I live in the Joplin MO area and our Amber alerts need better details.

[october10101]

I am glad that this story had a happy ending, and i hope the abductor is punished to the fullest extent of the law. I have to say though, I feel that this story will only make us less willing as a whole to help others. We all must ask ourselves what has become of our society when we must make a decision between helping others or watching out for our own personal safety.