CRI alert cancelled after baby girl found safe and well

Updated / Monday, 23 Sep 2024 16:59

Crime Correspondent

A five-month-old baby girl has been found safe and well two hours after she went missing in Dublin’s north inner city.

She was in the back of a Nissan Qashqui on Mountjoy Square this afternoon.

Her mother had just stepped out of the car when a man jumped in and drove off with the child at around 1.50pm. The man was not known to the child or her family.

The car drove down Mountjoy Square and on to Dorset Street.

Gardaí became increasingly concerned about the baby’s welfare and issued a child rescue alert just before 4pm this afternoon.

The child was wearing a pink cardigan with ladybugs, a pink headband with a white daisy flower, blue denim leggings and pink ugg boots.

A major garda search operation, including the garda helicopter, was put in place and just before 4.30pm, gardaí announced that the baby had been found safe and well.

They believe this was an opportunistic crime, that the man stole the car and appears to have abandoned it once he discovered there was a baby in it.

Gardaí have thanked the public for their cooperation and help and will give further details in a press briefing this evening.