Troy father charged with filing false report after alleged kidnapping of 7-month-old baby, police say

The father of a 7-month-old child faces a false report of a felony charge over an alleged kidnapping and carjacking on July 10 in Detroit's east side, investigators say. 

"The incident prompted a significant police response and garnered widespread media attention. However, after additional investigation, the reported victim's story changed," the Detroit Police Department said in a follow-up report on the case. 

The initial report was that a suspect approached a car around 11:55 a.m. July 10 in the area of Chalmers and Glenwood streets. The suspect allegedly pulled the driver from the car and took off with the baby still inside the vehicle. 

The victim was reported at the time to be the father of the child. 

The child was found safe, about an hour later, still in the vehicle after it was parked in a garage near Edmore Drive and Redmond Street. The baby was not injured, but was taken to a local hospital as a precaution and later returned to his family. 

Detroit Police said that as the investigation continued, officers learned that the man driving the car had stopped to talk to a woman he knew. While he was on the porch of a house speaking to the woman, someone else got into his vehicle and drove off. 

"No carjacking occurred – the vehicle was left by the driver and a suspect entered it and drove off with the 7-month-old child inside," police said. 

That information was presented to the Wayne County Prosecutor's Office, which has now charged Stephen Tryban of Troy with false report of a felony, police said. Tryban was arraigned on July 17 in the 36th District Court and is scheduled for a probable cause conference on July 23, court records show. Bond was set at $1,000.

"The Detroit Police Department wants the public to know that charges can be filed against you if you are untruthful about the circumstances of a crime. Making a false report of a felony is a serious offense that can cause unnecessary police response,  
wasting resources that could be needed for emergencies," the department said. 

The investigation is continuing. Police ask that anyone with information about the incident contact the Detroit Police Department's Commercial Auto Theft Section at 313-596-2555.