Sick newborn found in Alabama hours after parents took her from Louisiana hospital

Published 2:10 pm Sunday, January 12, 2020

Authorities say the parents of a seriously ill baby girl were arrested in Alabama on Sunday morning, hours after leaving a Louisiana hospital with the newborn.

It was unclear why the couple left Sabine Medical Center in western Louisiana and fled in a Cadillac Escalade.

They were taken into custody in Monroeville, Alabama, according to Louisiana State Police. A news release from that agency said the newborn was hospitalized in Alabama in stable condition.

The baby and the mother both had intravenous drip feeds connected to them when they left the medical center in the Louisiana city of Many, state police said.

Charges were pending against Shaun Levy, 39, and Brittany Parrie, 28. It was unclear if they had a lawyer who could comment on their behalf.

The nature of the child’s illness was not disclosed. When the couple disappeared with the child, Louisiana State Police issued an endangered child advisory.

Sgt. Scott Moreau, spokesman for Louisiana State Police, said numerous officers quickly took Levy into custody when he was located and attempted to flee in a vehicle.

Louisiana State Police say the baby girl was born early Sunday with a life-threatening condition. Police say she was to be transferred from Sabine Medical Center in western Louisiana to a hospital in Shreveport.

But the parents left the medical center with her. An endangered child alert was issued. And state police reported at mid-morning that the couple had been arrested in Monroeville, Alabama. The baby girl was recovered and hospitalized in stable condition.