Police Recover Kidnaped Baby : Tarzana: The infant is found unharmed in the home of a woman who officials say took the child from the hospital by posing as a nurse.

A woman posing as a nurse kidnaped a 2-day-old baby from its mother in a Tarzana hospital Wednesday, but the infant was later recovered from the kidnaper, who said she wanted a baby because she is dying, Los Angeles police said.

A woman identified as Pamela Luna, 37, of Tarzana, was dressed in a hospital gown when she walked into a room at Tarzana Regional Medical Center about 10:30 a.m. and told the baby girl’s mother that she was taking the infant for a blood test, Police Sgt. Dan Mastro said.

Luna was identified by police and hospital administrators as a former patient and employee of the hospital and daughter of a current hospital employee.

Authorities would not reveal the identity of the baby’s mother. Detective Dave Steinbacher described her only as a 16-year-old Canoga Park girl.

When the “nurse” did not return with the baby, the mother became concerned and confirmed with nurses that the infant had not been scheduled for a blood test, Mastro said.

Mastro said that a medical center nurse recalled seeing a former patient--Luna--in the hospital, dressed in a hospital gown, earlier in the day. The description of Luna matched the description the baby’s mother gave of the woman who took the baby, Mastro said.

Officers Howard Mathews and Chuck Roberts obtained Luna’s address from her mother, a nurse at the medical center, Mastro said.

Dr. Stephen Pine, chairman of the hospital’s obstetrics unit, went with the officers to Luna’s apartment in the 18600 block of Burbank Boulevard in Tarzana about 3 p.m., Mastro said.

Luna’s grandfather opened the door to the apartment where Pine and the officers found the missing baby unharmed and asleep in a crib, Mastro said.

Pine said Luna originally claimed the infant was hers, born three months ago. But when the doctor remarked to her that the child had obviously just been born, Luna broke into tears and said she had taken the infant, Pine said.

“She said she was sorry and she was planning on returning the baby as soon as possible,” Pine said.

Luna was taken into custody on suspicion of kidnaping. Her two daughters from a previous marriage, ages 6 and 8, were placed in the custody of Luna’s mother, Steinbacher said.

Luna cited several medical-related reasons as to why she took the infant, including that she could no longer have children of her own, Steinbacher said.

“According to her, she’s dying of cancer and she wanted a child before she died,” Steinbacher said. Detectives had not confirmed Wednesday whether Luna has been diagnosed with cancer, Steinbacher said.

Pine said Luna was an employee at the medical center about six years ago, but he did not know what position she held. He could not confirm that Luna was recently a patient at the medical center.

Pine said medical center officials do not believe Luna’s mother was aware of her daughter’s plans and that she cooperated with authorities during the investigation.

Wednesday’s kidnaping was the first in the medical center’s history, Pine said.

Medical center officials try to protect infants from being kidnaped by attaching identification bracelets with personal numbers on the babies’ legs as soon as they are born, Pine said. Mothers are instructed not to give their baby to a nurse, or allow the child to be moved within the hospital, unless the nurse identifies the infant by an identification number, Pine said.

“A mother has to hear that number and in this case, for some reason it didn’t happen and we don’t know why,” Pine said.

Patients were redrilled on the procedure following the kidnaping Wednesday, Pine said.

Pine said that to leave the pediatric floor with the baby, Luna either had to have passed the nursery and its nursing station or else fled down a stairwell.

The obstetrics unit will be moved in February to another building at the medical center where the building design will improve security, Pine said.

“I don’t think it will be a problem or a possibility there,” Pine said. The baby may be released from the medical center with her mother today, Pine said.