Above: An AMBER Alert for Walton resident Edna Cering and Sidney resident Michael Hazen. Source: Fox 5 News.
Update, Saturday, Oct. 24: The newborn has been located at the home of a relative and appears to be in good health, according to a press release from the Walton Police sent around 1 a.m. early on Saturday, Oct. 24. Edna Cering and Michael Hazen are still at large. From the press release:
At 12:48AM on 10/24/15 the Walton Police Department received notification, via 911 dispatch, that the infant involved in the AMBER ALERT issued on 10/23/15 at 8:00PM had been left, by the suspect/mother Edna Cering, with a relative in the Town of Hancock. The infant, which appeared to be in good health, was transported to a local hospital for medical examination. Edna Cering is currently still at large and believed to be in the company of Michael Hazen. Any information concerning Cering’s whereabouts should be directed to the nearest police agency.
Original story: Police are searching for a Delaware County mother who they say has kidnapped her own two-day-old newborn.
A man who is a level three registered sex offender is also a suspect in the incident.
According to an AMBER Alert released by New York State on Friday, Oct. 23, 33-year-old Edna Cering of Walton abducted her own baby after giving birth two days ago “without medical care.”
Cering has “an extensive history of drug use,” according to the alert.
She was arrested in 2012 for allegedly selling Suboxone and was charged with criminal sale of a controlled substance, a felony. She is currently on parole.
Cering reportedly abducted her baby around 3 a.m. on North Street in Walton with the help of 39-year-old Michael Hazen, according to the alert.
Hazen, from Sidney, is a level three registered sex offender who kidnapped and sexually assaulted a female in 1996, according to the state sex offender registration system.
In recent years, Hazen has attempted to modify his sex offender designation, according to court files. Level three sex offenders have a "high risk of repeat offense" and are considered a threat to public safety.
Cering and Hazen were last seen this afternoon in a green Pontiac sedan.
“Both suspects have a violent history including assaults,” the alert states.
A petition on Change.org attributed to an Edna Cering of Walton suggests that Cering has had children removed from her custody from her in the past.
