A silver Honda Accord with a 3-year-old girl inside was stolen by a woman in Artesia Wednesday, but the child was found safe nearby after she was let out of the vehicle.
The theft happened in the 18000 block of Elaine Avenue around 6:15 a.m. when the child's mother left her in the car with the keys in the ignition, according to sheriff's deputies at the Lakewood Station.
The thief took off in the car but let the child out moments later. The vehicle has not been recovered.
The license plate on the 2003 model Honda is 6MXW025, said Lt. Eric Lindblom. The car, which has a sunroof, is identifiable by a dent in the hood.
The thief was described as an overweight white woman with black hair, Lindblom said.
The girl's mother, Eva Madrigal, said the thief acted quickly.
"I put in my daughter first and then I forgot her toy and I went back to get it, and maybe in about five seconds I came back to the door, my car was backing up with my daughter," Madrigal said.
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The thief let Kailani Madrigal out about a block away.
The woman told her "to get out of the car," Kailani said.
Her parents are relieved that they got their daughter back quickly.
"You never think it's going to happen to you," said her father, Ralph Madrigal, "and sure enough, we got a dose of that and it's not good."
Anyone with more information about the vehicle's location or the thief is asked to call deputies at the Lakewood Station at (562) 623-3500.
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