Newborn twin snatched from hospital cot

A search was under way in England tonight for a two-day-old baby - one of identical twin girls - who was snatched from a cot at the foot of her mother’s bed at a maternity ward.

The youngster went missing from ward F4 at the Wordsley Hospital in Stourbridge, West Midlands, this afternoon after two women were seen acting suspiciously in the area.

Speaking outside Halesowen police station, Superintendent Steve Rowell, of West Midlands Police, said the incident was reported at 1.41pm and that officers were doing their utmost to find the infant.

He told reporters: ‘‘It would appear that two women, who appear to be acting together, went into the hospital at about the time that we are concerned with and were asking where the maternity unit was.

‘‘Later they were seen running out hurriedly and one of the women appears to be concealing a baby under her coat.

‘‘At this time the other woman was carrying a blue car seat.’’

The main suspect, who was seen carrying the baby was described as a white female, aged between 25 and 30 and was said to be about 5ft 7in and stocky.

She was wearing a black puffa jacket and had short auburn hair.

The second woman was also white, about 5ft 5in and of a similar age. She had short mousey hair, was of large build and was wearing a blue bomber jacket and a white round-necked T-shirt with orange lettering.

Mr Rowell added: ‘‘The parents are very distressed about this. They are caring at the moment for this missing child’s identical twin.

‘‘We think someone knows where this baby is and would urge them to contact us. We are also

appealing for friends and family who have seen someone suddenly appear with a baby.’’

No details were available about the parents other than that they were from the Dudley Borough area, he added.

A spokeswoman for the hospital said it had no comment to make other than it was liaising with the police investigation and all information would be issued via West Midlands Police.