On the side of a road near Winslow, an 11-day-old baby drank from a bottle in the arms of a Navajo County sheriff’s deputy after authorities found the infant safe on Aug. 1.
The child had been reported abducted from Surprise the evening before deputies in Navajo County, more than three hours away, received an attempt-to-locate alert for the missing infant.
The infant's father, who did not have custodial rights, took the child from the mother without permission, Surprise police Lt. James Rothschild said.
Detectives searched through the night on July 31 and worked with other law enforcement agencies to locate the infant.
Deputies later found the suspected vehicle near Winslow, which led them to the baby, the Navajo County Sheriff's Office said in a Facebook
post.
The infant was taken to a medical facility as a precaution and was waiting to reunite with his mother, deputies and Rothschild said.
Surprise police said officers contacted everyone involved and confirmed the infant was safe.
Authorities did not immediately identify those involved or say whether anyone had been arrested.
The Navajo County Sheriff's Office said additional details would be released later.
An investigation into the incident remained ongoing and it was too early to know what charges, if any, might be filed, Rothschild said.
The Sheriff's Office thanked the Arizona Department of Public Safety for its help in recovering the child.
Rey Covarrubias Jr. is a reporter for The Arizona Republic and azcentral.com. Email him at: rcovarrubias@azcentral.com, and connect with him on Instagram, Threads, Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) at @ReyCJrAZ.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Missing 11-day-old baby reported abducted found safe near Winslow
