(Reuters) - A pregnant Colorado woman had her baby cut from her womb on Wednesday during an alleged attack by a stranger who later took the dead infant to a hospital claiming that she had suffered a miscarriage, police said.
The episode began when police responded to a report of a stabbing at a home in the town of Longmont, 30 miles (48 km) north of Denver, Police Commander Jeff Satur said in a statement.
When officers arrived at the house, they heard a woman crying for help and found her beaten and stabbed in the stomach.
The victim told officers that she was pregnant and an attacker had "removed" her baby, Satur said, adding that she was lured there by a Craigslist ad from a person purporting to have baby clothing for sale.
The woman underwent surgery at a local hospital where she is expected to recover, he added.
Police said that some time later, a 34-year-old woman showed up at the same hospital with the dead baby claiming she had suffered a miscarriage and when police made the connection, they took her into custody.
"Detectives are working on a search warrant for the suspect's home and are expected to be at the home throughout the evening," Satur said.
The names of the victim and her suspected attacker have not been released but police said the two did not know each other.
The suspect was booked on suspicion of attempted first-degree murder, first-degree assault, and reckless child abuse resulting in death, Satur said.
(Editing by Curtis Skinner and Jeremy Laurence)
