New Mexico police search for missing baby after mass shooting

May 5 (UPI) – Police in rural New Mexico continued searching Sunday for a missing 10-month-old girl after officials said the toddler was kidnapped in a mass shooting in the city of Clovis on Friday.

Authorities issued an Amber Alert Friday for missing child Eleia Maria Torres, who was still active Sunday morning.

Advertising

Clovis police said the baby went missing when two women were found dead with apparent gunshot wounds. The child's mother was among the dead women. The other woman's relationship was not immediately known.

The mother's 5-year-old child was also shot and suffered a head injury. She was treated at the scene and then transported to a regional hospital in Lubbock, Texas, where she recovered, according to officials.

“It is with a heavy heart that I stand before you today to speak about the tragic incident that occurred Friday at Ned Houk Park,” Clovis Deputy Police Chief Trevor Thron said in an update Sunday, providing as many details as possible the missing child and the suspect or suspects who remain at large.

According to officials, the missing baby has brown eyes and brown hair, stands 28 inches tall and weighs 23 pounds.

“Our thoughts are with the victim and his family at this incredibly difficult time,” Thron said. “And we sincerely hope for a speedy and full recovery.”

Thron reported that the suspect's identity was unknown, as was the motive for the shooting. He said the suspect may have been in a maroon Honda, noting that investigators found a small piece of maroon debris at the scene, but that “we cannot be sure if it was part of the incident.”