Seven-week-old Ahsir Simmons was kidnapped from the King of Prussia mall in suburban Philadelphia on Thursday
    Cherie Amoore allegedly befriended the boy's mother in the food hall and then took off with the baby boy when the mother let her hold him
    Police released CCTV footage of the woman leaving the mall, which helped lead them to the kidnapper in nearby Treddyffrin Township

Continue after the cut ...

    Amoore was charged with kidnapping, child concealment and other offenses
    The boy and his mother were reunited at the police station Thursday night  


Seven-week-old Ahsir Simmons was kidnapped from the King of Prussia mall on Thursday, but returned to his mother several hours later32-year-old Cherie Amoore is accused of kidnapping the boy
Seven-week-old Ahsir Simmons was kidnapped from the King of Prussia mall on Thursday, but returned to his mother several hours later.  32-year-old Cherie Amoore accused kidnapper (right)
A suburban Philadelphia woman charged with kidnapping a newborn from a shopping mall told police she had given birth in February to a child who died within hours, and that she just wanted to hold a baby again.
Police said they were not immediately sure if Cherie Amoore, 32, had actually been pregnant or given birth recently. But her family thought she was pregnant, she was thrown a baby shower, and she was named on several baby registries for gifts including a $62 silver frame engraved with a boy's name.
'I didn't go there to steal a baby,' Amoore told police after her arrest, according to court papers filed Friday. 'I just wanted my baby. It felt like I was holding my son again. It felt so good.'


Photo: Upper Merion Police Dept.
The woman who stole the baby boy befriended the boy's mother and then kidnapped the infant when the mother let her hold the boy
Amoore was charged with kidnapping, child concealment and other offenses. She was being held on $500,000 bail pending an April 15 preliminary hearing.
According to police, she struck up a conversation with the baby's mother Thursday at the King of Prussia Mall by saying she had a boy the same age. She followed the woman and her family to several stores and joined them at the food court. When the newborn became fussy, she asked if she could hold him while the mother took a phone call and tended to another child. Amoore then walked off with the boy.
The mother, Malika Turner, tried to chase her but had to keep an eye on her other toddler, the affidavit said. She instead asked people to call 911.
Mall security video, combined with tips that poured in and help from the suspect's family, led police to find the baby unharmed at Amoore's apartment in Tredyffrin Township.
'I took the baby and I am sorry,' she told police when they arrived, according to the police affidavit. 



Police tracked down the suspect to a barbershop on Thursday. The boy was reunited with his mother at the police station Thursday night
Photo: abc
Police tracked down the suspect to a barbershop on Thursday. The boy was reunited with his mother at the police station Thursday night

The infant, Ahsir Simmons, was found shortly after 10 p.m., more than four hours after he went missing.
Online store registries for Amoore sought gifts for a baby shower set for December 19. At least some of the items had been purchased. Messages left with Amoore's family were not returned on Friday.
She told police she gave birth on February 11, but said the birth did not take place in a hospital, according to Upper Merion Sgt. Jay Johnson. Detectives were trying to determine if that is true. 
Court records for Amoore show only a handful of traffic violations.
Deputy Montgomery County Public Defender Gregory Nester, appointed to represent Amoore, said he did not yet know enough about the case to comment Friday.

The child's family was on hand at the police station, and celebrated his return with a prayer 
Photo: abc
The child's family was on hand at the police station, and celebrated his return with a prayer 

Police were quick to respond to the kidnapping, releasing CCTV footage of the woman leaving the mall with the baby in her arms and issuing an Amber Alert around 9:30pm.
Tips started flowing in after the surveillance footage was released, and police were able to identify the woman in the video, tracking her down to a barbershop in Treddyffrin Township.
Police confronted the woman who then turned the baby over to authorities. 
The woman had reportedly been showing the baby off to friends and family.
'We were able to go to a number of locations tonight in both Upper Merion Township, Malvern and eventually into Tredyffrin Township, Chester County, where we did locate the woman, who was seen on video leaving with the baby,' said Upper Merion Township Police Chief Tom Nolan. 'The baby is safe and sound, but is getting checked.'