Stolen from the womb: Caesarean Kidnapping

Profiler: True Crime Africa · Apr 30, 2025 · 1h 24m

This week: one of the rarest — and most horrifying — crimes on earth. A baby ripped from the womb in a violent act of theft.

We go deep into the case of Loretta Cook, a 24-year-old from Toekomsrus, whose web of lies led to murder and left a newborn fighting for life.

South Africa has seen not one, but at least three known caesarean kidnappings — an almost unheard-of crime globally. Why here? Why now?

Gerard Labuschagne and Paul Llewellyn unpack:

Why women fake pregnancies and kill to make them real

How these crimes are planned, not impulsive

What forensic psychology reveals about killers who…