More On: Jesenea Miron
A woman dressed as a nurse tries to steal an infant from a hospital in California
Authorities say that last week, a woman tried to take a newborn baby from a California hospital room by pretending to be a nurse. She was caught after she was caught in the act.
Police said in a press release that Jesenea Miron, 23, went to the Riverside University Health System Medical Center in Moreno Valley on Thursday night and pretended to be a new nurse.
The release says that Miron got into the maternity ward by telling a patient that she was a nurse. She then tried to take the baby, the release says.
The hospital staff confronted her, and they called security and the police. Officials say the alleged child thief ran away without the child and was caught at a home in Moreno Valley.
The release said that Miron was charged with kidnapping and was being held on $1 million bail.
It wasn't clear what caused what happened.
Officials at the hospital told KTLA that they were reviewing their security measures and would "look into how the suspect got into the patient's room and talked to the family."
Miron was arrested early Friday morning in the 11000 block of Weber Street, where investigators also found "additional items of evidentiary value," according to RCSD and jail records. The Sheriff's Department said that Miron was the would-be kidnapper.
Miron is being held at the Robert Presley Detention Center until he can pay his $1 million bail. According to jail records, she is accused of kidnapping and will have to go to court at the Riverside Hall of Justice on Tuesday.
Jennifer Cruikshank, CEO of RUHS Medical Center, said in a statement that they are working with the Sheriff's Department to "look into how the suspect got into the patient's room and talked to the family."
"Riverside University Health System– Medical Center has multiple layers of security to keep patients and staff safe and healthy, and we're glad that these systems and our alert staff were able to stop this suspect." Our security plans have been looked over and made stronger, and there are now more sheriff's deputies on campus. Cruikshank said, "We are also working with the family to address their concerns and make sure they are emotionally healthy."
Anyone with information should call Investigator Galvan or Master Investigator Merrill at 951-486-6700 or the Sheriff's Department at 951-776-1099.
