TORONTO — Family members hugged each other outside an apartment building in Toronto after receiving word that a 10-month old relative, who disappeared from his Toronto home Friday night, was found safe.
Police said 10-month-old Kamren Cunningham was found Saturday afternoon, not far from the apartment complex he vanished from the day before, in the company of a teenaged girl. Police say a tip led them to the boy.
Initially police were treating it as a missing persons case, but Saturday they labelled it an abduction, saying the boy was taken from his home without permission.
Police have charged a 14-year-old girl in connection with the case.
"I'm just so glad she doesn't have my godson,"said Paulette Ransom, the godmother of the infant boy, who described the child as a happy, loving baby, who is used to being around his mother.
Officers spent most of Saturday canvassing the northeast Toronto apartment complex, talking to neighbours and potential witnesses.
Kamren's mother, Kirsten Cunningham-Samuel, had pleaded with the public earlier in the day to contact the police if they'd seen her son.
With shaky words, Ransom implored people to give the family some time after hearing the news, but said Cunningham-Samuel was overwhelmed with joy to know that her baby was safe.
"She just broke down crying, thanking God, just thanking God over and over . . . that he was okay and that he was coming back home," said Ransom.
Const. Tony Vella of Toronto police said the accused teen, who cannot be legally named, was charged with abducting a person under 14 years of age. The suspect is to appear in court Sunday to face the charge, which has not bee proven in court.
The girl, police said, had been seen Friday night pushing the infant in a Greco-brand black and checkered stroller, carrying a diaper bag.
Police were originally considering it a missing persons case, but on Saturday said they'd concluded the boy was taken from his mother.
One witness who spoke to police, Care Ellis, 23, said she saw a "distraught" teenage girl with the sleeping child Friday night, about a three-minute walk from the apartment complex.
"She looked really messed up. She was all over the place . . . a bit ill-looking," Ellis said.
"The baby didn't even have a blanket. That kind of disgusted me," the mother-of-two added. "He had basically a jacket, shoes, its clothing on, no blanket, nothing covering the baby. It was very windy out there."
Toronto police said throughout the day they were planning to issue an Amber Alert - a public notification system that is sometimes used when a child is abducted - but the infant was found before that step was necessary.
Before the baby was recovered, Cunningham-Samuel delivered an impassioned plea for her child's safety.
"All his clothes are gone. All his formula's gone. All his diapers are gone. My son is gone," she said outside the apartment.
"It's been 24 hours since my son has been missing and he needs to come home. He needs his mom."
Ransom said Kamren is a "beautiful baby" who's used to getting a lot of love and attention from his family.
"He's just always smiling, always loving. He's amazing. He's infectious - he smiles, you have to smile with him," she said.
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