An 18-month-old girl allegedly abducted Thursday was found safe Friday morning in downtown Atlanta. The woman suspect, who had been baby-sitting her and took her, returned to Atlanta to buy beer, police said.
Guadalupe Aguayo’s father, Ramon Aguayo, reported the baby missing just after 11:30 p.m. Thursday, Atlanta police spokeswoman Kim Jones said.
Aguayo told police that he left Guadalupe with his roommate’s girlfriend, Claudia Rodriguez, while he and his roommate were at work.
“When the father and the roommate returned to the residence at 6:30 p.m., the child and Rodriguez were not at the location,” Jones said. “The roommate’s 1996 Ford Ranger was also missing.”
Jones said the father and roommate tried to contact Rodriguez, and when they could not reach her, Aguayo called police.
Jones said just after 7 a.m. Friday that the girl had been found during a traffic stop along the Downtown Connector at I-20.
Atlanta police Lt. Janet Brady said Rodriguez had taken the child with her to Conyers to visit a male friend, and they had returned to Atlanta early Friday to buy beer when an officer spotted their truck at a gas station.
Brady said the officer called for backup, then followed the pickup onto the Downtown Connector and pulled it over near I-20. Inside were Rodriguez, the toddler and the male friend from Conyers.
“She said she was planning on leaving the city again, so we’re happy that they were spotted,” Brady said.
She said the child appeared to be fine, but was taken to Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Hughes Spalding to be checked out. Her father was brought to the scene and rode with her in the ambulance, Brady said.
She said Rodriguez was arrested and charged with interference with custody and not having a child car seat in the vehicle. “We’re speaking to the district attorney’s office, and that will probably be upgraded to kidnapping,” Brady said.
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