15 days ago
Chipley, Florida — Authorities say the mother of a missing Florida 7-month-old secretly turned her over to her baby sitter in the middle of the night.
Washington County Sheriff Bobby Haddock said Thursday that infant Shannon Dedrick was found alive in a box under baby sitter Susan Elizabeth Baker's bed. Investigators have been searching for her since her parents reported her missing Saturday.
Haddock says Baker asked mom Chrystina Lynn Mercer on Friday if she could have custody of Shannon. He says Mercer brought the infant to Baker's house early Saturday, about 10 hours before she was reported missing.
The baby girl is in good condition. She had been missing for days when she was found Wednesday.
Haddock says Mercer and Baker each face several charges.
"Miss Baker was of interest to begin with," Haddock said. "There [were] things we were working on yesterday ... Once things [were] progressing in the news media, we had to rush ourselves a little further."
The incident happened near Chipley in Florida's panhandle near the Alabama state line.
The baby's mother reported her missing Saturday morning.
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