ST. GEORGE'S, GRENADA: Hot on the case of a Grenadian baby who it is believed was "kidnapped" to Alaska by an American couple, child welfare authorities here say they fear mothers in neighboring St Vincent might fall to a similar scheme. Child Welfare Authorities have been trying to get the Grenadian baby returned two years after a couple allegedly falsified papers here and took the baby to Alaska where it is believed to have been sold. The child was allegedly spirited out of the country by an American woman Melissa David who is the wife of a student at the St George's University here , after she allegedly somehow falsified documents to convince officials that she was the mother of the infant. Child rights activists here told this reporter that they concerned that infants St Vincent where the American couple are believed to be continuing their medical programs could be in danger of being sold in what they suspect could be a baby smuggling operation. The official said they are about to alert their Vincentian counterparts about the danger. Officials here have been unable to get to the bottom of the case, but it is believed that some local health officials were complicit in the plot to get the White American woman obtain documents showing she is the mother of a black baby. It has not been dismissed as out of hand that Grenadian officials might be involved as part of a grand baby selling ring, with poor local mothers readily available to play along. Investigations suggest that the American woman sold the bay to an Alaskan couple soon after she left Grenada. The Social Services Department here and the Office of the Solicitor General have been working with International Social Services to force the return of the child but the process has been slow, our sources say. The Alaskan couple have agreed to return the child under a deal where they would not face any consequences, but claim they are seeking to raise the funds to have the baby returned. But Welfare Authorities are waiting on a proposal to the government that it pays for the return of the Grenadian child. Permanent Secretary for Social Services Eunice Sandy-David said they have been assured by international social services that the child is safe but she refused to comment further on what progress is being made to bring the boy home. There is the feeling in some child welfare circles here that Grenadian authorities have been sloppy in their entire approach to the issue, who have not tried to get American authorities involved in bringing the child back home. Dexter was arrested on charges of falsifying documents after an investigation involving FBI agents but she received only a slap-on-the-wrist sentence of a fine -- a development that has child welfare activists here seeing red. They claim from day one there widespread "bureaucratic neglect" which now has the child exposed to danger. The officials cite failure to enforce child protection laws which would have stopped the baby from being exported in the first case, to an unwillingness to engage international agencies to get the bay back to Grenada. Welfare activists are working on the theory that this case is just one in many others that are not being dealt with adequately. SOURCE: CARIBUPDATE.COM