# Grandmother Finds Missing Toddler in Grandson’s Arms After Facebook Appeal

- Link: https://stayathomemum.com.au/entertainment/pop-culture/grandmother-finds-missing-toddler-in-grandsons-arms-after-facebook-appeal/
- Published: 2016-12-15T14:00:08+11:00
- Author: Clare Whitfield

## _A grandmother from New Zealand was stunned to find her 17-year-old grandson carrying a toddler who was reported missing on Facebook._

According to the [New Zealand Herald](http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11766236),
the grandmother said she was browsing the social media site one morning and saw 
the post of a desperate father pleading for anyone who had seen his missing 18-month-
old son.

> “This morning, I was just hopping onto Facebook and having a browse through and
> see this baby missing and I’m thinking ‘oh you poor darling’.
> “Then my daughter comes in and says: ‘Mum there’s a baby here’ and I said to her:‘
> A what?’ And I was like: ‘Oh my god, that’s the baby on Facebook’.
> “I got up and said: ‘You’d better ring the police and let them know’,” she said.

Her grandson, a 17-year-old boy from Rotorua has been charged with unlawfully carrying
off the child.

[⌊Grandmother finds missing toddler appealed on facebook in grandsons arms | stay
at home mum⌉⌊Grandmother finds missing toddler appealed on facebook in grandsons
arms | stay at home mum⌉[

The toddler, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was reported missing around 
2am on Tuesday. His father told [Stuff.co.nz](http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/87499992/Missing-Rotorua-toddler-found-safe-and-well)
that he found the toddler’s cot empty and the window to his bedroom open. “The window
was wide open, it looked like someone had broken in and then the front door was 
a little bit open. We’re unsure how it all happened,” he said.

The grandson allegedly took the toddler to his Aunt’s home. His Aunt told _Stuff.
co.nz:_

> “I saw [through the door] someone was holding a baby and I thought ‘who’s here
> with a baby this early?’
> “I opened the door and said ‘aww, who’s baby’s this?’ He said he found it wandering
> around.”

She added that the toddler was in good spirits while he was away from his parents.“
The baby was just walking around, hanging around my boys. He didn’t cry. We got 
him some clothes and my mum changed him and gave him some Weetbix. The police arrived,
he only cried when they went to put him in the car seat,” she said.

The toddler was reunited with his parents just after 8am the same morning. He was
taken to hospital for a checkup and given the all clear to return home.

The grandson, who was not known to the family of the missing child, was charged 
with the alleged kidnapping and will face the District Court this week. He will 
appear in local court in January.

Meanwhile, the father of the toddler said it was a huge relief to see his son. “
I just gave him a big hug, he just seemed like the same old, happy to see mum and
dad, he was a happy as little chap,” he said.

Sources: [Kidspot.com.au](http://www.kidspot.com.au/parenting/real-life/in-the-news/thats-the-baby-on-facebook-woman-finds-missing-baby-in-grandsons-arms)
and [Au.news.yahoo.com](https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/33541075/thats-the-baby-on-facebook-woman-discovers-grandson-holding-missing-child/#page1)

![author avatar](https://i0.wp.com/stayathomemum.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/
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 Clare Whitfield Chief Editor

 Clare Whitfield is the Editor of Stay at Home Mum and a recognised voice in practical
home management for Australian families. Based in the northern suburbs of Sydney,
she balances editorial leadership with life as a stay at home mum to two school 
age children. Her background in home economics and more than a decade of experience
in recipe development, family budgeting, and household systems inform her work.

 [See Full Bio](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/) [  ](https://stayathomemum.com.au/author/clare_whitfield/)