Toddler, asleep in back seat when car was stolen, is found safe; thief still at large

A toddler was found safe in the back seat of a stolen car, but the suspected car thief and a man she was with are still on the loose.

The ordeal began about 7 p.m. Wednesday when a woman stole a silver 2006 Ford Focus from a gas station at North Seventh Street and Riverview Avenue in Kansas City, Kan.

Police said the driver of the Ford Focus left his vehicle running with the girl inside while he went into the gas station.

The child, who police said was about 4 years old, was sleeping in the back seat when the car was taken, Kansas City, Kan., Police Chief Terry Zeigler said.

According to police, the car thief fled north of Seventh Street.

Authorities found the car and the child about 8 p.m. near 190th Street and Evans Road in Tonganoxie in Leavenworth County. She was not hurt but taken to a local hospital as a precaution, police said.

Police used K-9 units to search for the woman in a nearby wooded area. She was not in custody as of 9:55 p.m. Wednesday. The suspect was described as a white woman with blonde hair wearing an all blue one-piece short set.

The woman was with a white male wearing a neon shirt and gray shorts who was driving an older utility truck, police said. They released a photo of the man and the truck Wednesday night.

This story was originally published July 12, 2017 at 8:43 PM with the headline "Toddler, asleep in back seat when car was stolen, is found safe; thief still at large."