What to Know
Security footage from a hospital in Brazil reportedly shows a nurse attempting to steal a newborn baby. Auricelia de Sousa Rocha, a nurse technician at the Dona Evangelina Rosa Maternity Hospital, allegedly went into the hospital on July 6, 2026, during her off time, dressed in scrubs. The infant’s aunt, Rocha, presented herself as a nurse assisting with newborn testing.
But something apparently seemed off about Rocha’s actions. The aunt stopped her from leaving, and when she looked in her bag, she reportedly found her newborn niece. Police detained Rocha while investigating a potential kidnapping.
Rocha allegedly spoke to multiple mothers before taking the baby.
Per De Telegraaf, Rocha spoke to multiple mothers in the hospital and eventually convinced a 14-year-old mother to let her take her newborn for testing. The infant’s aunt told Folha de São Paulo that she watched Rocha take the baby into a room in the maternity ward and return a short time later. This time, she didn’t have the baby, but she did carry a large duffle bag.
“She already had that big, black bag over her shoulder, and although I had already handed the baby over, I had a bad feeling about it.”
The aunt stopped Rocha from leaving.
She looked inside the bag and reportedly found the baby lying still. Hospital staff called police, who arrested Rocha a short time later. O Tempo reported Rocha’s attorney, Tiago Carvalho Moreira, said in a statement his client allegedly has psychiatric problems and was diagnosed with Acute Polymorphic Psychotic Disorder with symptoms of schizophrenia.
Per O Tempo, when police went to Rocha’s home, she allegedly had a fully furnished nursery just waiting for a baby to come home. Rocha also allegedly faked a pregnancy.
“In her current clinical state, as confirmed by the defense and family members, Auricélia presents a significant impairment in her understanding of the reality she is experiencing, demonstrating difficulty in comprehending the seriousness of the facts under investigation and even the procedural situation in which she finds herself,” her attorney said.
The story concerned many parents.
Many moms don’t want to take any chances when it comes to their babies.
“This is why I didn’t let my baby be taken to the nursery alone for any kind of tests or anything. Me and her dad went with her and went back to our room together when she was done,” a mother shared on Facebook.
This mother agreed. “Exactly why ion want my baby to leave the room for nothing I’ll be a hospital worse nightmare stg,” she wrote.
Dona Evangelina Rosa Maternity Hospital fired Rocha.
She’d worked at Dona Evangelina Rosa Maternity Hospital since 2024, but the hospital relieved her of her duties. Per O Tempo, the Regional Nursing Council of Piauí temporarily suspended her nursing license pending an investigation. She is currently receiving psychiatric care.
The condition of the infant was not disclosed.
