Police launch manhunt after four-year-old boy was abducted in front of his mother while playing in park

By FRANCINE WOLFISZ, NEWS REPORTER Published: 23:05, 19 June 2026 | Updated: 23:05, 19 June 2026 A four-year-old boy vanished for several minutes as he played in a Black Country park metres away from his mother. West Midlands Police has now launched a manhunt, following the abduction on Thursday afternoon, in Haden Hill Park, Cradley Heath. The youngster was with his mother close to the fish pond within the park just after 3pm when the incident occurred. The child then vanished for several minutes as his mother was tending to a baby. He was found a few moments later in nearby woodland and the alarm was raised. Specially-trained officers are speaking to the boy and his family as they try to establish exactly what happened. The offender is described as being in his late teens, black, short in height and with curled hair. He was clean shaven and wearing black clothing. Extra officers will be patrolling the area over the coming days to offer reassurance to the public. A four-year-old boy vanished for several minutes as he played in Haden Hill Park, West Midlands, metres away from his mother Police have stressed they believe it to be an isolated incident. West Midlands Police said: 'We believe this is an isolated incident, but we understand how concerning it is and understand the impact it will have in the area and to the local community. 'We are currently studying CCTV as we investigate. 'We are also appealing for witnesses to come forward and we're particularly keen to hear from people who may have been in the park at the time and may have any mobile footage to please contact us.' Anyone with information is being urged to call 101 quoting log number 3966-180626, or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555111. No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.