DES MOINES, Iowa — A man snuck into Mercy One Des Moines Medical Center's neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU) and fed a baby that wasn't his, according to the Des Moines Police Department.
DMPD said the incident occurred on Dec. 28 when the man snuck by a nurse and claimed to be the father of a new baby. He then proceeded to bottle-feed the baby for about an hour before leaving. The baby was not harmed in the incident, but police are still working to figure out the motive.
"Was this just a situation where maybe somebody with, you know, just a little misguided, but wanted to be nurturing and helpful, thought that's what he was doing?" DMPD Sgt. Paul Parizek said. "Or is it something, more of a sinister scenario where it was a test run for a child-stealing incident or something like that?"
MercyOne said it is taking steps to prevent an incident like this from happening again. The health system released the following statement to Local 5:
"MercyOne takes the safety and security of our patients and families very seriously. The incident that took place last month is extremely troubling. We are actively cooperating with the Des Moines Police Department on this ongoing investigation and have conducted an internal investigation into the matter, which prompted several changes to our policies and protocols to expand our security and prevent this from occurring in the future."
Those changes include adding more ID checks at hospital entrances, increased security and staffing in the NICU, and re-educating staff members on safety protocols.
Parizek said this is the first time he can recall seeing a situation like this. Because it's so unusual, figuring out the motive is critical.
"Right now, we're looking at a simple misdemeanor trespassing charge at best," he said. "But if there's more to it, we certainly want to get down to the bottom of that."
The suspect is pictured below. If you recognize him, call DMPD's non-emergency line at 515-283-4811 or submit an anonymous tip here.
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