Two baby girls who were in the back seat of a vehicle stolen early on Monday have been found safe in a ditch in southeast Indianapolis, authorities said.
The infants, a 4-month-old and a 5-month-old, were kidnapped while inside a 2013 Hyundai Sonata, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police said in a statement shared on social media.
The two girls — who were wrapped in blankets and had been left out in below-freezing temperatures — were found later on Monday by a man who noticed “two car seats with two babies” as he walked outside his South Riley Ave. home to check if some packages had been delivered.
“One of them was screaming, so I immediately grabbed the car seats [and] brought them inside,” the Good Samaritan, Robert Deane, told CBS Indy. “We got them warmed up and called 911.”
The two little girls are cousins, family members told the station. They received some medical attention and have since been reunited with their families.
The car was located by police around the same time just a few feet away, police said.
It’s not immediately clear how long the two babies were left outside in the 27-degree weather.
“It’s cold out here,” police spokesman William Young told USA Today. “Who knows what could have happened if this particular individual was not able to come outside? It’s extremely cold,” Young said, adding the investigation is ongoing.
“We’re still in our early stages of trying to figure out who was responsible for this,” he said.
No arrests have been made as of Tuesday afternoon.
