Children’s Hospital to Review Security After Boy Is Taken

Children’s Hospital of Orange County is reevaluating its security procedures after the disappearance of an infant who was in protective custody and believed abducted by his parents.

Spokeswoman Mary Lou O’Toole said Friday that she could not explain how the parents might have been able to walk out Thursday with the child, as police believe, without being noticed by hospital staff.

“I don’t have an answer to that,” O’Toole said. “We don’t know how it happened, but we are currently reviewing all policies and procedures to ensure a safe medical environment for our patients.”

O’Toole said the hospital staff could have provided extra security for the 6-month-old boy if officials had been warned by social workers of possible problems.

She said the child was admitted Tuesday “on a routine county hold, per the Social Services [Agency’s] request,” meaning that no special security requirements were warranted and the parents were allowed to visit the boy.

“We followed our internal policies and procedures. We do these holds all the time,” O’Toole said. “If the child had required additional security, we would’ve expected the county or law enforcement officials to notify us.”

Orange police said the baby was taken into protective custody by social workers Tuesday when aides at a Fullerton day-care center saw bruises on the child. The baby was admitted to the hospital for tests to determine whether the bruises were caused by physical abuse. The parents--a 20-year-old man and 17-year-old woman--were allowed to visit him daily.

Authorities said nurses reported the baby missing about 11:30 a.m. Thursday, following a visit from his mother.

Orange police Sgt. Larry Pore said the boy was taken to Mexico by his parents.

“The mother called a relative here in Orange County and said they were in Mexico with the boy,” Pore said. “We’ve been told they’re in a small community just outside Tijuana.”

The district attorney’s office took over the investigation Friday, Pore said.

O’Toole said CHOC “followed the Social Services Agency’s instructions” in admitting and examining the child, but could have provided guards or other security if social workers had said it was warranted.

Bob Griffith, chief deputy director at Social Services, said social workers also believed that “this was a routine case.”

“Up to the point of the parents taking the child, there was no reason to suspect anything out of the ordinary was going to happen,” Griffith said.

He said that medical tests had not been completed, and officials still do not know if the boy had been physically abused.

“There are still a lot of unknowns involved,” Griffith said. “The saddest thing is that the parents and child could’ve received services and assistance if needed. We would still like answers to all of the questions that remain [about whether the child was abused or not].”

A detention hearing had been scheduled Friday in Juvenile Court, Griffith said, to determine whether the infant should have remained in the custody of social workers or have been returned to his parents.