Crime and Public Safety | Mother accused of taking her 3-day-old infant from hospital, stabbing workers who tried to stop her

A mother who took her 3-day-old infant off a ventilator at a Palm Beach County hospital is accused of stabbing three workers and shoving another who tried to stop her from fleeing with the baby.

Kendra Greene, 31, of Loxahatchee, was arrested early Friday on charges of child neglect with great bodily harm, aggravated battery with a deadly weapon, simple battery and resisting arrest without violence, court records show.

After fleeing from the hospital, Greene crashed her car and fled into a canal, where she was arrested, a probable cause affidavit said. Her baby is reported to be back at Palms West Hospital in Loxahatchee in stable condition.

Relatives told deputies that the baby’s mother was previously diagnosed with schizophrenia and her mental health was declining, the affidavit said. Greene’s name is redacted in the affidavit, but the Sheriff’s Office released her name in a media release Friday.

The baby was born with underdeveloped lungs and required a breathing machine, a feeding tube and other measures to stay alive, the affidavit said. Greene expressed multiple times to relatives that she couldn’t understand why the infant remained hospitalized.

Hospital employees heard a “code pink” announcement Thursday night, signaling a child abduction, and went to the nearest doors to prevent anyone from leaving, the affidavit said.

Two employees working in the NICU heard the code pink announcement. One saw the mother “violently remove” the tubes and devices from the baby’s mouth and stomach, the affidavit said.

The NICU employee pleaded with her to stop, the affidavit said. The baby could have died without the machines. The mother pushed the employee, cursed at her and said she was taking the baby before running into an elevator.

Another NICU employee went to the nearest door upon hearing the code pink announcement and saw Greene holding a large kitchen knife while trying to leave with the baby under her shirt. That employee was stabbed in her right hand, the affidavit said, when she tried to intervene.

The other two employees who were stabbed tried to stop Greene on the first floor near the emergency room exit. One was stabbed in the hand and another in the right side of the neck, the affidavit said.

Greene had her first appearance in Palm Beach County court Friday morning.