Kidnapped Missouri Baby Found Alive

(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.

[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.

[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.

[silentwolf59]

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

[toc246]

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

[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 .

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

[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.