Three-month-old baby girl is found safe on a porch after her father's car was stolen while she was sleeping in the back seat

  • Police say the father told investigators he left the car running with Dakota Grimes sleeping in the back around 1am Monday
  • He returned to discover the white 2006 Chevrolet Impala — and his daughter — missing
  • Shortly after an Amber Alert was broadcast, the child was found on the porch of a nearby home, still strapped in her car seat
  • She was taken to a hospital as a precaution

By ASSOCIATED PRESS and ZOE SZATHMARY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM

Published: | Updated:

A three-month-old baby girl has been found safe after her father's car, with her inside, was stolen from outside a Detroit liquor store.

Dakota Grimes was found on a porch.

Police say the father told investigators he left the car running with Dakota sleeping in the back around 1am Monday while he ran into the store on the city's east side.

He returned to discover the white 2006 Chevrolet Impala — and his daughter — missing.

Scroll down for video 

Police say a 3-month-old baby girl has been found safe after her father's car, with her inside, was stolen from outside a Detroit liquor store. Dakota Grimes (pictured) was found on a porch
The car is seen in this image released by police

Police say a 3-month-old baby girl has been found safe after her father's car, with her inside, was stolen from outside a Detroit liquor store. Dakota Grimes (pictured) was found on a porch

65-year-old Gary Zielinski (pictured) found her on a porch belonging to his friend Ray Harper

65-year-old Gary Zielinski (pictured) found her on a porch belonging to his friend Ray Harper

Detroit Police Chief James Craig, according to The Detroit Free Press, said: 'I explained it just this way to him, I said, "I'm angry with you. Why would you be out at 1am with a child?"'

'Now I understand he did drop the mother off, but it was not just so much being out at 1am, it was the fact that he left the child in the car with it running.

'That's a recipe for what? A bad situation.'

Shortly after an Amber Alert was broadcast, the child was found on the porch of a nearby home, still strapped in her car seat. She was taken to a hospital as a precaution.

65-year-old Gary Zielinski found her on a porch belonging to his friend Ray Harper, The Detroit Free Press reported. Both men are contractors.

Shortly after an Amber Alert was broadcast, the child was found on the porch of a nearby home, still strapped in her car seat. She was taken to a hospital as a precaution

Shortly after an Amber Alert was broadcast, the child was found on the porch of a nearby home, still strapped in her car seat. She was taken to a hospital as a precaution

Police say the father told investigators he left the car running with Dakota sleeping in the back around 1am Monday while he ran into the store on the city's east side

Police say the father told investigators he left the car running with Dakota sleeping in the back around 1am Monday while he ran into the store on the city's east side

Zielinski said in an interview with the newspaper: 'I knocked, but Ray didn't answer the door, so I went to the back window to his bedroom window and knocked on it.

'When he came out, I looked down finally and said, "Ray, there's a baby on the porch."'

Zielinski said that Harper 'started calling his family members trying to see if it was one of them playing a joke, dropping the baby to be babysat.'

They brought Dakota inside, where they saw an Amber Alert on the television.

Zielinski said: 'We said, "Man we have to call 911, this might be the baby."'

He said: 'The Lord was on my side. Because I usually don't go down there that early and wake up Ray.

'Something told me to get up and go that way. God was on my side this morning and he woke my butt up.' 

Harper told Fox 2 Detroit: 'She was asleep just as adorable as she could be but the blanket was just below her waist. I don't know long she'd been sitting out there.'

The car was recovered Monday afternoon in nearby Harper Woods.

Police have detained one person and are seeking a second suspect, Click on Detroit reported.  

Most watched News videos