Police search for three-month-old boy abducted from stroller in Renningen, Germany
A three-month-old boy vanished from his stroller in Renningen, Baden-Württemberg, on Thursday night. Police say the child was lifted by an unknown person, and a large-scale search involving helicopters, drones and 40 dogs is underway.
What happened
A three-month-old boy disappeared in the town of Renningen, around 25 kilometres west of Stuttgart, on the night of 18 June 2026. Police were alerted shortly before midnight. According to a spokesman, the infant was briefly unattended and taken from his pram by an unidentified person.
The child was unattended for a short time. He was lifted from the stroller by an unknown person and taken away.
Grabenstein added that investigators had started combing the immediate crime scene and were working outwards in concentric rings. No leads had emerged by Friday morning.
Unfortunately, we currently have no hot lead. Of course, the child could already be somewhere else entirely.
Search operation
The police response has been extensive. Officer numbers have not been disclosed, but resources include multiple helicopters, drones equipped with thermal-imaging cameras, and 40 search dogs drawn from mantrailer, area-search and cadaver-dog units across Baden-Württemberg. Volunteers from the German Red Cross and local rescue squads mustered in a supermarket car park early on Friday, which was sealed off as a staging point.
A spokeswoman confirmed that the exact location where the child went missing was not being released, citing the ongoing investigation. The criminal police (Kriminalpolizei) have taken over the case.
Official reaction
Renningen’s mayor, Melanie Hettmer, described herself as speechless.
I am speechless and deeply worried. I hope that the child will be found safe and sound.
The municipality of roughly 18,500 residents is in close contact with police, she said. No motive or suspect description has been made public.
