Pair Again Report Baby Taken; First Found Dead

Police investigated a report Monday that a masked gunman abducted a baby girl from a couple who made the same complaint three years ago about another daughter who was found dead only yards from their house.

On Saturday, Robert and Paula Sims reported their 6-week-old daughter, Heather, missing from her bassinet after a masked gunman knocked Paula Sims unconscious, police said.

The report was identical to one filed in 1986 in nearby Brighton when the Simses’ 13-day-old daughter, Loralei, turned up missing. Her body was found five days later near the Simses’ house. No arrest was made, although the parents were considered suspects.

“What are the chances of somebody breaking into your house and taking your small infant child once in your life?” police Sgt. Billy Lawrence said. “You figure out the odds, and then figure out the odds that it could happen a second time in a completely different city. But I’m not trying to say anything.”

On Monday, police in this Mississippi River city across from St. Louis said they were still treating Heather’s disappearance as a reported kidnaping.

“We are doing everything we can possibly do, but we have no idea where the child is,” police Sgt. Bud Pyatt said.

“We were told (Mrs. Sims) was approached by a male outside the home, forced back inside the house and knocked unconscious,” Pyatt said. “But we have no information other than what was obtained yesterday.”

The reported timing of the abductions was nearly identical. In 1986, Paula Sims said she was knocked out about 10:20 p.m. On Saturday, she told police the assailant struck at 10:30 p.m. as she took out the trash.