Authorities in upstate New York confirmed the death of an 11-month-old infant who had been abducted and subsequently discovered alive in a shed on the expansive site of an electricity plant. The child passed away in the hospital.
At approximately 10 a.m. on Sunday, the Schenectady Police Department issued an Amber Alert for 23-pound girl Halo Branton.
The last sighting was at 12th Street and Campbell Ave. on Saturday at around 9:15 p.m., when she was wearing white pants with tan and brown flowers, a pink long-sleeved shirt with a butterfly motif, and a Minnie Mouse blanket.
Someone in the city’s Bellevue area reported the girl missing about 11 p.m. Saturday, according to Schenectady police officer Ryan Macherone.
The infant was described as being about two feet and eight inches tall, with black hair and hazel eyes.
The infant was discovered in a shed on the enormous General Electric facility in Schenectady.
When the youngster was identified, the agency withdrew the Amber Alert and announced that Branton was “safe and in good health.”
Police in Schenectady later included details on Halo’s whereabouts and stated that they do “not have an update” regarding her health in an amended article version.
In a complete reversal of the early good news, Macherone stated at the news conference that the girl was declared dead at the hospital after first responders hurried her there.
According to Macherone, a criminal inquiry has been launched into what was initially a missing persons case. No one had been taken into custody related to the matter as of Sunday night, but detectives were “interviewing multiple people,” he noted.
Anyone having video footage from their Ring doorbell or other outdoor cameras in the Campbell Avenue neighborhood after 9:00 p.m. on Saturday should contact the Schenectady Police Department. The abductor is described as wearing black slacks and black sneakers. She was last seen strolling in the area with a baby beneath a blanket. In order for the public to submit any relevant footage, the police distributed a QR code.
