The kidnapping alert was triggered on Saturday evening for a 1-year-old child, Vanille, who was allegedly abducted by her mother in Angers on Friday afternoon, announced the police. The mother was found, not the child.
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Nathalie Stéphan, Vanille’s mother, one year old, for whom a kidnapping alert was raised, was found early Sunday morning in a hotel in Nantes and placed in police custody, while her daughter is still wanted, said the prosecutor. of the Republic of Angers.
“The mother was placed in police custody for the removal of a minor by ascendant. The device made it possible this morning to find the mother in a hotel in the city of Nantes, the concern is extremely great because the child has not yet been found, “announced Eric Bouillard during a press conference, stating that the mother had left indications to the police to search for her daughter in the Angers region.
“Our concern is still great because the child has not been found in the course of research which is being carried out by both public security and the Angers SRPJ,” said the prosecutor. The mother suffers from psychological problems and must take treatment. She had already taken another of her daughters but had finally returned her.
Nathalie Stéphan, 39, had been staying for a year in the Angers maternal center, a home for pregnant women and single mothers, where she could continue to receive her daughter regularly.
Her child had been placed in the care of Child Welfare (ASE) and placed in a foster family by the children’s judge. “As part of this educational placement she could see her mother during a given time of the week, this week it was 48H00 which was planned”, added the prosecutor, adding that “no incident had been noted in recent weeks. “
The mother left home on Friday at 11:00 a.m. and should have brought her daughter at 5:30 p.m. to her child welfare worker.
Removal alert
“Vanilla, female, 1 year old, of mixed race type, measuring 1m, black eyes, dark brown hair, short and curly, was allegedly removed in Angers (Maine et Loire), 3 rue Lebas on February 7, 2020, around 5.30 p.m. The suspect is his mother Stephan Nathalie, 40, dressed in a down jacket and leggings, and likely to travel by public transport in the Angers area “, details the alert.
“If you locate the child or the suspect, do not intervene yourself, immediately call 197, or send an email to: [email protected]”, specifies the alert accompanied by a photo of the child.
The “Abduction Alert” plan is a massive and immediate alert device, deployed to assist in the search for a child suspected of being abducted. It is largely inspired by the “Amber Alert” plan, created in Texas in 1996, after the kidnapping and assassination of little Amber Hagerman.
What is that ?
Adopted in France in February 2006, it consists in launching a massive alert in the event of the abduction of a minor child to mobilize the population in search of the abducted child and his abductor.
It is only activated if several criteria are met: there must be a proven abduction and not a simple disappearance, the victim must be a minor and his physical integrity or his life must be in danger; there are pieces of information to help locate the child.
It was officially launched for the first time on July 9, 2006 after the disappearance of two sisters, Emeline and Mélissa, 8 and 10 years old, in Maine-et-Loire. This case had turned out to be an irrelevant alert, the two girls having returned to their home about fifteen hours after their disappearance.
The last “kidnapping alert” dates back to May 2019 for a 2-year-old boy, Osnachi, who was kidnapped in the heart of Marseille. He had been found safe and sound a few hours later in a hotel in Valence (Drôme) with the man who had abducted him.
