Deputies investigating attempted infant abduction in Lockeford

Deputies are looking for three people who apparently tried to steal a 20-day-old baby from a Lockeford home, San Joaquin County's Sheriff's officials said Thursday.

The suspects ultimately fled without taking the baby during the Monday morning incident, but on Thursday investigators released information on the suspects. Deputy Les Garcia, a Sheriff's spokesman, gave this account:

At 7:45 a.m. two males and a female knocked on a door at Lockeford Mobile Home Park, 19142 N. Jack Tone Road, in the south end of Lockeford.

The female asked the 37-year-old mother, "Where's the baby?" and the mother let the suspects in because she thought they were hospital employees checking on the infant.

Then the female suspect grabbed the baby and tried to leave, repeatedly telling the mother, "This is not your baby." The mother blocked the suspect's way and yelled for her 10-year-old son to call police.

The two male suspects had remained just inside the front door and one tried to block the boy, but he managed to get to a phone and dial 9-1-1. The male suspects then fled, waved down a newer gray four-door car with tinted windows, and fled.

When they left, the female suspect returned the uninjured baby and ran to a waiting car, described as older and brown, driven by a larger Hispanic male with a beard.

The female suspect was described as a light-skinned Hispanic, in her late teens or early 20s, with a thin build and long, curly hair. She wore sunglasses, a gray sweatshirt, blue jeans and white tennis shoes.

One of the men was Hispanic, in his early 20s, about 5 feet 8 inches tall, with a large build. He was described as bald, though he was also wearing a red and black baseball cap, as well as a black sweatshirt and black pants.

The other suspect was either a dark-skinned Hispanic or light-skinned black man, also in his early 20s, with a large build, round face and wearing a light-colored shirt.

Garcia had no further information, but said it was being investigated as an attempted kidnapping.

Anyone with information may contact the Sheriff's investigations unit at 468-4425.

Contact reporter Layla Bohm at layla@lodinews.com.