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AMERICAN FORK — A 1-year-old baby was rescued by police on Tuesday after she was allegedly kidnapped from her bedroom in American Fork by a man that had been reportedly been stalking her mother, American Fork police said.
Police responded to a report of a kidnapping at a home in American Fork at around 6:40 a.m., according to a press release. The mother told police that someone had entered the back door and entered the baby's room, taking the child. The mother told police that she heard a vehicle drive off and she could hear her daughter crying.
The mother reported that an individual named Aaron Castro had been stalking her, according to the release, which noted that Castro is not the baby's biological father. Castro, who lives in Lindon City, was contacted by Lindon officers at his residence at American Fork Police Department's request. Shortly after American Fork police contacted Lindon City police, dispatch received a 911 call from one of Castro's family members who said she found a baby outside her residence with Castro, according to police.
Lindon officers arrived at the residence and positively identified the baby as the one who had been kidnapped from the residence in American Fork, police said. Lindon police contacted Castro inside his residence and transported him back to American Fork Police Department for an interview.
The baby was taken to a local hospital by ambulance as a precaution because officers on scene described her as "lethargic." The baby was released to her parents and is doing well, according to the statement.
Castro was described by his family and the baby's mother as having a history of mental illness.
According to officials, Castro had told detectives that he had gone to weight train at a recreation center in Pleasant Grove when the baby was kidnapped. He claimed that when he arrived home from the recreation center the baby was in the driveway of his residence, police said.
The release stated that Pleasant Grove officers contacted employees of the Pleasant Grove Recreation Center, who reviewed surveillance video with officers, determining that Castro hadn't been at the rec center at or near the time of the incident.
Police said that in an interview with Castro's family member she said that she had awoken around 7 a.m. to the sound of a baby crying. The woman got out of bed and found the baby outside on the ground while Castro was near his vehicle with multiple car doors open, according to the release.
Castro was arrested and booked into jail by American Fork detectives on suspicion of child kidnapping, burglary of a residence, and child abuse. The case will be further screened by the Utah County Attorney's Office. The investigation is ongoing.
