Woman's tweet: 'Found a baby on my lawn, that's new'

From FOX 12, Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. -- A 17-year-old girl is accused of kidnapping a 4-month-old baby in northeast Portland Tuesday.

Officers were initially searching at the Cedar Tree Apartments at 148th Avenue between Burnside and Stark Street after getting the report of the missing child at about 2 a.m. Tuesday.

Police spoke with family members and tried to determine if another family member had the baby or if someone kidnapped the child. They were checking all addresses associated with the family.

At about 7 a.m. a woman -- who doesn't know the family involved -- walked outside of her home and discovered the baby boy underneath a tree in her front yard.

"So. Found a baby on my lawn this morning. That's new," the woman wrote on twitter. "The baby is fine. Cold, but safe."

Officer Kevin Macho responded to a radio call and took custody of the boy at the home on Northeast 139th Avenue, 11 blocks away from the address where the baby went missing.

"It obviously felt good. We didn't know the status of the baby earlier, so it's nice to hold a 4-month-old that's safe," he said.

The teen accused of the kidnapping, Kabriana Harper, is a cousin of the baby's mother and was staying with her for a few days recently.

Officers said the teen took the baby before abandoning him under a tree and then returned to the home where police first contacted her early this morning.

Detectives interviewed her extensively before taking her to the Donald E. Long Juvenile Detention Home.

Detectives do not believe anyone else is involved in this case. A motive has not been revealed.

Harper is charged with one count of second-degree kidnapping, a Measure 11 crime.

Paramedics took the child to a Portland hospital for evaluation.

As for the woman who found the baby, she said she's just happy the child is OK.

"Glad the baby's safe, hope he lives a long, productive, drama-free life from now on," the woman later tweeted.