A 23-year-old woman suspected of impersonating a nurse and trying to snatch a newborn from its mom at Riverside University Medical Center in Moreno Valley was being held Friday in lieu of $1 million bail.
Jesenea Miron of Moreno Valley was arrested and booked into the Robert Presley Jail in Riverside Thursday night on suspicion of kidnapping.
According to Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Richard Fransik, about 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Miron accessed the medical center campus and identified herself as a newly hired nurse, enabling her to enter the maternity ward.
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Fransik alleged that while on the ward, the suspect entered a room occupied by a woman and her infant, introducing herself as a nurse.
"While inside the patient's room, she attempted to take the newborn,'' the sergeant said. "The suspect was confronted by hospital staff, who then notified security.''
The baby was not harmed, nor was the mother.
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Miron fled empty-handed before deputies assigned to the medical center could apprehend her. However, detectives followed up and were able to procure evidence confirming the suspect's identity.
A search warrant was served at Miron's residence on Weber Avenue late Thursday night, resulting in "items of evidentiary value'' being seized, according to the sergeant.
The suspect was taken into custody without incident.
A possible motive for her alleged actions was unknown, and background information on the suspect was unavailable.
Anyone with information is asked to call Moreno Valley Sheriff’s Station at 951-486-6700 or the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department at 951-776-1099.
