Parents share harrowing story after baby nearly taken by fake nurse in Moreno Valley
MORENO VALLEY, Calif. (KABC) -- The parents of a newborn baby who was nearly kidnapped by a woman allegedly masquerading as a nurse inside a Moreno Valley hospital have hired an attorney.
Attorney Paul Maineri held a brief news conference Thursday at his law office in Murrieta. He wouldn't identify the parents of the child, nor say whether he intends to file a lawsuit.
"The parents are grateful they're safe, and especially that the baby is safe," said Maineri. "Their main concern is that this doesn't happen again to anybody else."
The incident allegedly occurred on July 14 at the Riverside University Health System Medical Center in Moreno Valley.
The Riverside County Sheriff's Department said deputies responded to the location around 10:30 a.m. after being notified by hospital staff of an individual impersonating a nurse on campus and then trying to take a newborn child.
Riverside County sheriff's detectives said that following their initial press release of the incident, an additional party came forward with information about a second incident.
Investigators later arrested 23-year-old Jesenea Miron of Moreno Valley, and have since charged her with two counts of felony kidnapping.
Maineri said he wasn't sure whether his clients' child was the first alleged kidnapping victim that day, or the second one.
"Our information is that the imposter came into the room, spent about 20 minutes in the room and handled the baby the first time, undressed the baby, and changed the baby's diaper and left," said Maineri. "She came back 25 minutes later and did the same thing, and at that point, she attempted to roll the baby out and got the baby in the hallway."
But Maineri said something made the parents suspicious.
"Our clients thought something was amiss and the father decided he wanted to accompany his baby outside the room along with the imposter to where the test was going to be held," Maineri said. "We believe that when the defendant was made aware of this and abandoned the effort at that point."
The hospital isn't commenting any further than when it released the following statement earlier this week:
"Riverside University Health System- Medical Center has multiple layers of security to protect the safety and well-being of patients and staff, and we're thankful those systems and our vigilant staff were able to thwart this suspect," said Jennifer Cruikshank, the CEO of the Riverside University Health System Medical Center.
"We appreciate the swift response from the Sheriff's Department," continued Cruikshank in the statement. "We are working with them to investigate how the suspect accessed the patient's room and interacted with the family. Our security protocols have been reviewed and reinforced, and we have additional sheriff's deputies on campus. We are also working with the family to address their concerns and ensure their emotional well-being."
