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Dr. Kim Mulvihill Reporting In light of recent stories, more people are looking at what may cause a woman to kidnap a vulnerable infant and call that baby her own?
Infant abductors are usually women and they come from all walks of life. As for their motivation, little research exists. However, most women are driven by the belief the child will resolve a problem in their lives, replace a child they have lost, or that by producing a child they can convince a partner to stay.
Investigators say Shannon Torrez told them she was nine months pregnant when she lost her baby, just hours before Abigale Woods was taken. That has led many to wonder if post-partum depression or the more severe post-partum psychosis could play a role.
A conference on post-partum depression took place this week in San Francisco, where I spoke with Dr. Pec Indman, an expert on pregnancy related mood disorders.
Dr. Pec Indman, Pregnancy Mood Disorder Expert: "Women who do have postpartum psychosis do things that seem abnormal, unusual. Psychosis means they're out of touch with reality and so inappropriate things do and can happen."
While post-partum psychosis may play a role, experts say most of these women are living a lie before during and after the abduction. Many have faked a pregnancy, which eventually forces them into a corner.
In a brief search of the literature, I found cases of women stealing babies all over the world. The infants were taken from hospitals, homes, day care centers, even shopping malls. Since 1987, an average of fourteen infants have been abducted each year in this country.
The abductions are often violent. Guns may be used to enter a home forcibly. In fact, a number of mothers and fathers have died trying to prevent abductions.
At this time, investigators are trying to determine if Torrez had been pregnant.
