Missouri Mom Abducts Injured 10-month-old Baby Girl From Hospital

Jayana Johnson child abuse St. Louis County Bureau of Crimes Against Persons

By Joel Brussels , Parent Herald Nov 06, 10:26 am

Photo: (Photo : Michael B. Thomas/AFP via Getty Images)

Missouri officials announced that a mother has been charged after she abducted her own infant daughter from the hospital.

According to a news release from the St. Louis County Police Department, a charge of first-degree endangering the welfare of a child was filed against the 24-year-old mom. Cops said that she violated a protective order by taking her injured 10-month-old girl from a St. Louis county children's hospital.

Cops said the infant was admitted with critical injuries to the hospital. The baby's injuries had been caused by neglect, with the child suffering from severe malnutrition, rickets, pneumonia. The child also had around 17 bone fractures due to a lack of care, according to the Kansas City Star.

Johnson fled the hospital with injured daughter

A protective custody order was issued against the child's mother, but she fled the hospital against the orders of the doctor. Troopers said that after fleeing the hospital, the mom refused to return her baby to the hospital for treatment. Doctors issued a warning, saying that the baby girl was in imminent danger of death if the infant did not immediately get care.

Missouri state troopers then issued an Amber Alert just before 2 a.m. on Thursday, November 3. Troopers said that the alert was canceled just after 4 a.m. when the infant was found and her mom was taken into custody. In an interview with the cops, the mom said she knew her child was underdeveloped and she was aware of her daughter's injuries and deformities.

Police said the baby is now safe, but there are no further updates regarding her condition. Detectives from the St. Louis County Bureau of Crimes Against Persons are the ones leading the investigation.

KSDK identified the suspect in its report as Jayana Johnson. Cops were alerted after the 10-month-old child was brought in critical condition to the hospital.

Amber Alert activated in Missouri by State Highway Patrol

The Missouri State Highway Patrol then activated an Amber Alert for the young girl after she was taken by her mom from the hospital. The alert was canceled two hours later after both mother and child were found. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), law enforcement use Amber Alerts to notify the public about missing kids thought to have been abducted.

They are only used for the most serious cases of child abduction, when authorities believe a kid is in imminent danger of serious bodily injury or death. The main goal of Amber Alerts is to add millions of people to help not only in the safe return of the kid but also in the apprehension of the abductor. Johnson was arrested and is now being held on $200,000 cash only, no 10 percent bond.