DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — Update: The child has been located and has been reunited with family, according to DeKalb County Police. Read the update here.
Original story:
A mom is pleading for her daughter's safe return after her 1-year-old was taken as she was making a food delivery in the DeKalb County area early Thursday morning.
According to Capt. Brian Delosch with the DeKalb County Police Department, at around 2 a.m., the mom, a DoorDash driver, was delivering food along Harvest Dale Court in Stone Mountain when two suspects stole the car with the child in the backseat.
"I just want my baby home -- that's it," the mom said through tears during a 9 a.m. press conference.
The mother said she delivers at night regularly while the child sleeps. She said the only reason she didn't lock the door is that she was in a "nice residential area" and didn't expect anything like that to happen.
"I always work in this area ... I had my keys in my pocket. And the only reason I didn't lock the door is because ... I was in a nice neighborhood," the mother said through tears.
Deloach said the car was still running when the mom got out of the vehicle but she had the keys to her push-to-start car on her.
"She attempted to get back to the car and stop the individuals, but they did not stop," Deloach said.
"As soon as I went to put the food down I just heard someone running and then I heard the door close," the mother described.
She said when she turned around the truck was going down the street with the baby in the car.
She said that her baby was wearing a pink jacket, purple shirt, pink pacifier holder, pink pacifier, and some white purple-pink socks. The child is is 2-foot-8 and 36 pounds with brown hair and brown eyes.
"Just bring her home," the mother said. "You can take her to the hospital, take her to a store, just bring her home. She didn't do anything," the mom pleaded during the conference.
Deloach said the child is still missing, although they located the car in a nearby neighborhood. He did not say if the baby's car seat was still in the car at the time authorities located it.
"Our only goal right now is to make sure we bring her home safely to her mother," authorities said.
An additional press conference is scheduled for 12 p.m. on Thursday.
If you spot the child, call 911 immediately.