ZWEDRU, GRAND GEDEH COUNTY – In the quiet hours before dawn on November 16, grief broke the silence at Martha Tubman Memorial Hospital. A 21-year-old young mother, Tracy Nuah, exhausted from days of nursing her recovering baby boy and from the pang of bringing forth a life, ran through the infant ward screaming for help.
Her newborn—the child she had breastfed just moments before—was gone.
“I just want my baby back,” Tracy cried, her voice cracking under the weight of a nightmare no mother should ever experience.
According to the mother, the baby had been admitted to the newborn ward after she had delivered him at the same facility but had shown remarkable improvement. By Thursday, she was told they would likely be discharged the next day.
“He was sucking well, breathing well, peeing well. He was smiling. Everyone saw him,” she said, wiping tears.
But by early Saturday morning, her world shattered.
A Mysterious Woman in Hijab
The mother recounted that at about 2:55 a.m., she returned to the ward to check on her baby—an instinct she said she could not ignore.
“Something just told me go and check him again,” she said.
As she opened the door, she nearly bumped into a woman dressed in full hijab—covered head to toe.
“She asked me where pampers were being sold. I had never seen her before,” the mother explained.
The woman walked away. And when the mother looked toward the fourth crib—the place where her son lay—the tiny space was empty.
“I ran. I stood at the door again. I looked. My heart dropped. I walked to the crib… he wasn’t there,” she narrated, tremors in her voice.
The other mothers, startled awake, rushed into the room. Some began praying, others shouting. But the child had vanished.
The Ward: Thirteen Babies, No Mothers Allowed to Sleep Inside
The mother described a ward where 13 infants lay in cribs, attended by nurses while mothers slept in a nearby room.
“You are only allowed to go and breastfeed and leave,” she said. “We cannot stay with our children.”
She also mentioned tension between staff and mothers, recounting moments where nurses “blasted” at her and her mother-in-law for asking questions about the baby’s health.
“They shouted at us when we tried to read a paper on my baby’s file,” she said. “If I come and see strange paper on my child’s crib, should I not look?”
She said she was repeatedly told the baby’s “color was changing”—turning yellow—but observed nothing alarming herself.
“I breastfed him all day. He was fine. He cried like a normal baby,” she said.
Ministry of Health Confirms Baby Was Taken
Hours after the panic-filled search inside the hospital, the Ministry of Health issued a Public Service Announcement, confirming the worst:
“An unidentified individual—described as wearing a hijab—unlawfully entered the Infant Ward and reportedly made away with a newborn male baby.”
The Ministry said the incident occurred around 2:00 a.m., aligning with the mother’s timeline.
Authorities have launched a full-scale investigation, working with the Liberia National Police to track the suspect and locate the infant. The Ministry urged the public to report any suspicious movement involving a newborn.
A Family Broken, A Community Shocked
At the baby’s home in Zwedru, grief hangs heavily. Neighbors console the mother, who says she has not slept since the incident.
“I trusted them. My baby was okay. And now he’s gone,” she sobs. “I just want my child. I want him alive.”
Her mother-in-law, who had been at the hospital the previous day, is overwhelmed with guilt.
“She helped change the baby’s diaper before the nurse shouted at her,” the mother said. “She left, and now she is blaming herself for going outside.”
Community members have begun organizing search efforts, circulating the baby’s description and urging anyone with information to come forward.
Hospital Security and Accountability Under Scrutiny
The disappearance raises serious questions about security measures at public hospitals, especially in wards housing the most vulnerable patients.
“How does a stranger walk into an infant ward at 2 a.m. and walk out with a baby?” a distraught father asked outside the facility.
Residents are calling for:
- 24-hour monitored security at hospital entrances
- Controlled access to wards
- Camera installation
- Mandatory identification for all visitors
Grand Gedeh County Health officials say they are cooperating fully with investigators.
A Mother’s Plea
As police comb communities across Grand Gedeh for clues, the mother waits—crying, praying, hoping.
“I carried him for nine months. I suffered to give birth to him,” she said softly. “Please, anyone who knows anything… I beg you… bring my baby back.”
Her voice trembles—part anguish, part desperate hope.
Her story now resonates across Liberia as a heartbreaking reminder of broken systems, hospital vulnerabilities, and a family’s unimaginable grief.
