Missing Mi Angel Gaines Update: 9-Month-Old NYC Baby Found After Being Abducted By Father

KEY POINTS

The man, Antonio Armstrong, was the baby's non-custodial father
He assaulted her mother before he fled the scene
The baby was last seen wearing a red, white and blue onesie

An Amber Alert, issued for a 9-month-old New York City baby who was snatched by her father early Monday morning, was canceled after the child was found.

Authorities said the baby was currently being evaluated at the hospital. It remains unclear who brought the baby to the authorities or if any arrests have been made in the case.

The father, identified as 22-year-old Antonio Armstrong, was reportedly arguing with the child’s mother before taking the child away. Armstrong then assaulted the child's mother and fled the scene with the infant. The police said the incident took place in front of 2433 Frederick Douglass Blvd. in Harlem.

In the Amber Alert, the police identified the child as Mi Angel Gaines, who weighed about 19 pounds. The baby was last seen wearing a red, white and blue onesie. Armstrong, who is the baby's non-custodial father, is about 5-foot-10-inch tall, weighing about 200 pounds, and has a tattoo of a microphone on his neck.

NYPD earlier said Mi Angel was "taken under circumstances that lead police to believe that they are in imminent danger of serious harm and/or death," ABC-affiliated WIVT reported.

MISSING❗️#NYPD needs your assistance locating the child pictured below⬇️. She was last seen in a stroller in front of 2433 FDB(8th Ave) #Harlem, wearing a red, white & blue onesie. Child was taken by her biological father Antonio Armstrong⬇️without permission. Call📲 212-690-6315 pic.twitter.com/bB19NLUoNb
— NYPD 32nd Precinct (@NYPD32Pct) June 7, 2021

The police said they were last seen traveling on Eighth Avenue, and have possibly gone into the subway system. The child's mother reportedly posted a video to Citizen, asking about the whereabouts of her daughter.

“Can everybody please keep a lookout for my daughter? This is Tiffany Gaines – Mi AngelAheaven Armstrong Gaines daughter’s mother. I’m currently looking for my daughter,” she said Monday. “There was multiple alerts put out for my daughter. As well as it being put on the news an everything. I would like my daughter to be returned safely to me.”

The police said the baby was taken just before 3 a.m. ET.

Anyone with any information was asked to call 911 or the NYPD’s Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or for Spanish, 1-888-57-PISTA (74782). The police said a tip can be submitted via their website or via DM on Twitter, @NYPDTips. All calls are kept confidential.