Woman Pretending to be a Social Worker Tried to Kidnap a Newborn Baby

Santa Ana, CA — A woman in California allegedly posed as a social worker and tried to kidnap a newborn baby from the mother. She reportedly surrendered to police after a video of her leaving the victim’s home went public.

The mother said a woman, who said her name was Mayella Ortega, went to her home and told her that she came to take her 1-week-old baby into protective custody.

When the mother became suspicious, she questioned the woman, asked for her identification, and refused to give her baby. The woman then threatened her that she will come back with sheriff’s deputies and forcibly take her baby.

The mother’s sisters were able to take a cellphone video of the woman as she walked away and left.

The woman, who is 38-years old, turned herself in to police after the video aired on TV. The mother identified that it was the woman who tried to take her baby but the woman claimed that although it’s her, she wasn’t there to take the baby.

The incident is being investigated as the police are concerned of how the woman got personal information about the baby. Homicide detectives are questioning what exactly she was doing at the home.

“How did this woman know that this victim had a child less than 2 weeks ago, where she lives,” Santa Ana PD Cpl. Anthony Bertagna told ABC7. “How’d she get her personal information? That’s all scary to us.”

Police also said that law enforcement would be with the social services if they would really take a child into protective custody. The woman was alone when she went to the victim’s home.

Moreover, social services confirmed that there is no Mayella Ortega that works for their agency and there are no records connected with the home. The woman’s real name wouldn’t be released yet as an investigation on possibly related cases in other counties are ongoing.