Mother Found With Missing Baby in L.A.
San Diego and Los Angeles police, acting on a tip Wednesday night, arrested Renita Smith, 25, who was found in Los Angeles with her 2-week-old daughter, Angelica, police said Thursday.
Smith allegedly had abducted her child from Paradise Valley Hospital last Friday, raising concern for the health of the girl, who was being treated for cocaine addiction acquired before birth from her mother.
For the record:
12:00 a.m. July 23, 1988 For the Record National City Officer Made Abduction Arrest
Los Angeles Times Saturday July 23, 1988 San Diego County Edition Part 1 Page 2 Column 1 Metro Desk 2 inches; 41 words Type of Material: Correction
In a Friday story, The Times incorrectly identified Detective Chico Gonzalez as a San Diego Police Department officer. He is a National City officer, and it was the National City Police Department that arrested Renita Smith on suspicion of removing her 2-week-old daughter from a hospital.
An acquaintance of Smith called police about her whereabouts after seeing media accounts of the child’s plight, said San Diego Police Detective Chico Gonzalez.
Smith is being held on suspicion of child stealing, child endangerment and on pending prostitution and theft warrants, he said.
Gonzalez said Smith was aware of the delicate health of her daughter, who was listed in stable condition Thursday at Children’s Hospital in San Diego.
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