Police: 'There Was No Abduction Attempt'

It turns out the attempted child abduction, in which a man was reported to have grabbed a stroller with a baby in it near the Windham town forest, did not occur, according to the Salem Police Department.

Salem Deputy Chief Shawn Patten issued a statement just before 4 p.m. April 25 to assure residents of greater Salem that the community is safe.

The statement: "After a brief but intense investigation, Salem Police do not believe the incident involving the abduction attempt of a baby occurred as reported to law enforcement. The case remains active and under investigation. Police believe the neighborhood and the community are safe, and there was no abduction attempt yesterday."

On April 24, Salem police said that a caller alerted police that a man grabbed and ran away with a baby stroller containing an 8-month-old child. The parent was able to take control of the baby as the man ran away, police said.

The man was described as a white man in his 20s, wearing a black sweater with hood, tan cargo pants, with black hair, between 5’ 9” and 5’ 10”. Salem police have asked that anyone with information regarding the case call the department at (603) 893-1911.