Crime & Safety
Passerby Finds Missing Infant in Salinas, Crying in Stolen Car
FBI joins investigation of abduction and car theft, reported in Morgan Hill around 2 p.m. Tuesday.
An hours-long search for the 1-month-old Mariana Corona-Vidal came to an end Tuesday after a passerby in Salinas found the infant alone in a car stolen in Morgan Hill that afternoon, according to an update from the Morgan Hill Police Department.
The passerby heard the infant crying in the back seat of the car, parked in Salinas’ Toro Park, and notified authorities around 5:30 p.m., police said.
Authorities transported Corona-Vidal to a local hospital, where she was determined to be in good health and reunited with her parents, Maribel Corona and Miguel Vidal of Morgan Hill, said police.
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The suspect remains at large, and Morgan Hill police are collaborating with the FBI as they continue their investigation, according to the release.
At 1:57 p.m. Tuesday, the car, an off-white 1991 Infiniti Q45 that had its keys inside, was reported stolen. It was parked outside St. Catherine Church, and the infant was inside.
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In the 3½ hours that followed, police agencies from around the region helped with the search.
The California Highway Patrol deactivated the statewide Amber Alert around 6:45 p.m., having activated the alert nearly four hours earlier around 3 p.m. Police said that they kept the alert active until Corona's mother was able to confirm her child's identity.
During a press conference, Morgan Hill police Capt. Joe Sampson said authorities had searched areas surrounding the city but focused south.
"A lot of the people who steal vehicles in this community come up from south of the county," specifically the Salinas area, he said.
The suspected thief may not have noticed that the infant was in the vehicle, said Gilroy-Hollister CHP spokesman Jaime Rios.
Units from the Gilroy-Hollister CHP office were assisting other local law enforcement agencies in the search, he said.
The investigation continues, and Morgan Hill police will release an update later in the week, said Capt. Sampson.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call Sgt. Shane Palsgrove at 408-461-6250.
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