Taken at Gunpoint: The Abduction of Marlene Santana
The newborn was snatched from her mother’s arms as she left a Brooklyn hospital.
Francesca Santana was brimming with happiness on the afternoon of October 21, 1985. She had arrived at Brookdale Hospital in Brooklyn, New York three days earlier to give birth to her third child. It had seemed to be a routine delivery to Francesca, but her newborn daughter, Marlene, had developed a severe case of jaundice shortly after birth. Doctors were concerned enough about the baby’s bilirubin levels that they decided to keep her hospitalized for a few extra days. Marlene’s levels had stabilized sooner than her doctor had expected, and Francesca had just received the welcome news that she and her baby would be discharged from the hospital later that afternoon.
Francesca had just finished feeding Marlene and was leaving the nursery to go back to her own room when she paused at the nursery window. She stood there for a few minutes, admiring her daughter as she slept peacefully. When she turned away from the window, she saw that she wasn’t Marlene’s only admirer. There was another woman who was also looking through the window at all the babies. She smiled at Francesca and asked her which baby was hers. Francesca proudly pointed out Marlene, and the woman commented that she was certainly a…