NCMEC poster http://is.gd/UTfr


Officers from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service are helping the Madison, Ill. police department in their search for an infant and his suspected kidnapper.

Police activated a regional abduction alert on Sunday in the disappearance of Cortez Rose. The five-month-old was last spotted with his 17-year-old babysitter, Danielle Medina, at the bus stop at 19th Street in Granite City. Medina is an acquaintance of the infant's mother.

Cortez was wearing a red T-shirt and diaper; he has birth marks on his right arm near his shoulder and right ankle. Medina is a black female, five feet tall, and 120 pounds. She was wearing a long brown shirt, black leggings, and carrying a gray purse, and pushing Cortez in a large brown stroller. She has an orange and black weave in her hair.

Madison police chief Steven Shelby said officers are still treating the case as a kidnapping. Medina lacks the resources to travel far, he said, and they believe she is still in the Metro East.

Anyone with information on the whereabouts of Medina or Cortez Rose is asked to call the Madison police department at 618-876-4300, or dial 911.

Published: June 8, 2009 at 12:37 PM

MADISON, Ill., June 8 (UPI) -- Police in Madison, Ill., said Monday they were searching for a 17-year-old girl suspected of kidnapping a 5-month-old boy she was babysitting.

Madison Police Chief Steven Shelby said the teenager, Danielle Medina, may be eluding authorities after running afoul of the law in New York, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

"It's possible she may be on the run from maybe some charges up in New York City," Shelby said as the search for the teen was under way Monday.

Police allege Medina abducted Cortez L. Rose Saturday while babysitting the infant at his Madison home.

Police told the Post-Dispatch it appeared Medina had been living at the home.

"It's just kind of strange she hasn't made contact with anybody. She knows the number she has been staying at the house for maybe two or three months now," Shelby said of the suspect.



http://www.upi.com/Top_News/2009/06/08/Teen-accused-of-kidnapping-missing-baby/UPI-58391244479071/

Madison mom frantic about missing baby
By Carolyn Tuft and Nicholas J. C. Pistor
ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
06/08/2009

UPDATED 3:20 P.M. with information on suspect's criminal record


MADISON -- The mother of a missing baby said that the teen who took her child "wanted a baby real bad."

"She was going around saying she was pregnant, but she's not," said Makeela King, 16.

But, King said that she trusted the woman who took the baby.

"I didn't think she'd do nothing like this," said King.


Police in Illinois are asking for the public's help in tracking down the teen -- Danielle Medina, 17 -- who is believed to have taken King's baby -- Cortez L. Rose.

Madison Police Chief Steven Shelby said Medina is a "transient" and came to the Metro East from the New York City area. Medina is wanted on an outstanding warrant and has previously been convicted of child endangerment in New York.

"She has a grand larceny felony warrant and she has a previous conviction for child endangerment, although we don't know the details at this time," Shelby said.

On Monday afternoon, police began searching a housing complex in East St. Louis where Medina was known to stay sometimes with her boyfriend. Police said she fled the child endangerment charge in New York.

According to court records, Medina entered the New York Corrections system on Feb. 21 of this year for third-degree grand larceny. She was paroled on March 17 of this year.

Police said Medina was left to babysit the boy in the 1500 block of 5th Street in Madison. They say Medina then left the house with the baby without his parents' permission. Baby Cortez lives at the home. Now, police believe the child could be in danger.

The mother went shopping in East St. Louis, according to police.

Medina, the babysitter, was also living at the home, police said.

Cortez is an African-American baby boy who weighs about 20 pounds. He has birthmarks on his right arm near his shoulder and one on his right ankle. He was last seen wearing a red t-shirt.

Medina is described as an African-American who is about 5-foot tall, weighing about 120 pounds. She was last seen wearing an orange-and-black weave, black leggings and a long brown t-shirt. Medina was carrying a large gray purse and pushing Cortez in a brown and tan stroller.

Shelby said he knows of no quarrel between Medina and the boy’s parents. The baby's father, Levelle Rose, is serving a four-year prison sentence. Rose, 19, was convicted of residential burglary and aggravated unlawful use of a weapon last year.


“It’s just kind of strange she hasn’t made contact with anybody. She knows the number she has been staying at the house for maybe two or three months now,” Shelby said.

Shelby said there was a delay in asking the public’s help because the family waited until Sunday to report the incident -- and he thought Medina might return.

“I thought there might be some confusion,” Shelby said.

Medina doesn’t have a cell phone, according to police.

Anyone with information about Cortez' whereabouts should call the police at 618-876-4300.

SARAA Alert Issued Sunday Evening.

http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/news/stories.nsf/illinoisnews/story/D8C3762C465D6458862575CF003C2614?OpenDocument

charged = convicted

   

Police: Missing baby found alive in Fort Wayne, IN
06:08 PM CDT on Tuesday, June 9, 2009 

(KMOV) -- News 4 has just confirmed that the five-month-old missing baby was found alive in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Danielle Medina and Cortez Rose was found in a house with 13 people inside.

Don Slazinik, the US Marshal for Southern Illinois, says local deputy Marshals checked 20 addresses looking for the missing baby. According to Slazinik, a local US Marshal developed a source in the metro-east who lead Marshals to the house.

Police say 17-year-old Medina took Cortez from his home Saturday without the consent of his parents. Police charged Medina with aggravated kidnapping prior to her arrest.

According to investigators, Medina has outstanding warrants for child endangerment in New York, which is where she is from.

Police told News 4 that someone has anonomously donated $1,000 as a reward for the safe return of the baby. The baby will be in DCS custody.
http://www.kmov.com/localnews/stories/kmov-st-louis-news-090608-abduction-alert.5d33eacd.html

Thank god! We needed some good news today.

Thank you Nut for changing the date, posting the update and moving the topic.