Critically ill French baby found ‘safe and sound’ at uncle’s home after being kidnapped by father

A critically ill French infant kidnapped by his father from a hospital has been found, police said. The baby has been brought back to the medical facility in Toulouse to continue treatment.

"Little Tizio, a 2-month-old infant, was found safe and sound at 8:55pm. Thank you all for your help," the National Gendarmerie said in a short statement more than 24 hours after the baby went missing.

The baby was snatched Friday evening from a children's hospital in the southern city of Toulouse, where the infant was undergoing life-saving emergency medical treatment, authorities said earlier. The hospital accused the father of taking his son, and urged the man to return the baby who faced "mortal danger." The abduction triggered a massive manhunt that ended Saturday evening when the sick infant was located.

READ MORE: Manhunt underway as father kidnaps dangerously ill infant son in France

Authorities found little Tizio at his uncle's home in Belcaire, in the Carcassonne region, some 130 km away from the hospital where the child was being treated, French media reported. A local gendarme spotted the father's car in front of the house after a nationwide abduction alert was issued by authorities.

The child's 33-year-old father and his brother are in custody, Toulouse prosecutor's office said. The child was then taken back to Purpan Hospital in Toulouse.

Interior Minister Gerard Collomb hailed "the responsiveness and professionalism" of law enforcement agencies on Twitter, "especially the gendarmerie groups that helped to find little Tizio."