Mom Who Fled Hospital After Infant Tested Positive For Drugs Found With Kids
YUBA CITY (CBS13) — Two children are safe after their mother took them from a hospital near Yuba City Wednesday night.
It all started when police say Tina Baiz brought her 11-month-old son Zeke to Rideout Memorial Hospital in Marysville for a medical emergency. After hearing Zeke tested positive for drugs in his system, police say she left the hospital with the baby while he was still hooked up to an IV.
Baiz also had her 2-year-old daughter with her. Police say the three disappeared for an entire day before detectives located the them Friday morning near the intersection of Feather River Boulevard and North Beale Road in Linda.
The two children were transported back to the hospital for evaluation, while Baiz was taken into custody.
Police say it was a cooperative effort to track them down.
"Having the community's help, thanks to the media's willingness to get the story out there in the large scale that they did was everything to our detectives in getting the information that they needed to locate Zeke and Zoey" said Shawna Pavey with the Yuba City Police Department.
Baiz is in custody. Police are still working out charges pending the outcome of the children's medical evaluation.
"We understood that Tina was scared, obviously, however that does not outweigh the health and safety of those two children, which is of paramount importance to us" Pavey said.
Rideout Memorial Hospital issued a statement regarding the incident, reading in part:
"We are pleased to learn that law enforcement has acted quickly and effectively. Hospitals are required to comply with all mandatory reporting laws and regulations, which includes reporting of cases of suspected child abuse or other mistreatment to Child Protective Services."
Meanwhile detectives working the case are pleased that the children are safe.
"For the detectives that have been up all night working this case, there's no better feeling" Pavey said.