Woman Posed as Social Worker in 'Scary' Kidnapping Try: Police

The suspect apparently tried to take woman's newborn baby
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 8, 2019 9:30 AM CDT

California police have detained a woman who allegedly posed as a social worker to kidnap a woman's newborn child, KABC-TV reports. The woman, who called herself Mayella Ortega, is accused of showing up at the Santa Ana home last Friday and saying she had to take the week-old into protective custody. She apparently showed no ID, and when questioned by the mother, threatened to return with sheriff's deputies to take the baby by force. "And I say, 'OK, if the sheriff has to come in, that's fine. But I don't want to give you my kid," the mom apparently said. So the suspect walked out, and the mother and her sisters quickly caught her on cellphone video walking off to her white SUV.

Santa Ana police checked with Orange County social services, who said there was no open case against the family and the woman's name didn't match their employee records, per the LA Times. So cops let media run the cellphone video, and on Friday evening the woman arrived at Santa Ana's police department, where she was detained for questioning. "How did this woman know that this victim had a child less than 2 weeks ago, where she lives," says Santa Ana police rep Anthony Bertagna. "How'd she get her personal information? That's all scary to us." Whether she's been hit with criminal charges is unknown, per Fox News. (Meanwhile, the husband of a missing woman denies he threatened to kidnap her.)

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