Angry Dad Left Baby in a Bean Field in Middle of the Night: Cops

A community’s frantic search for a 6-month-old baby girl who was taken by her father after he argued with her mother ended in the wee hours of the morning when deputies found the child in a soybean field.

The child, named Karma, was found in rural Champaign County about 10 miles east of Champaign. The deputies found her at 1:47 a.m. as they trudged through the wet field on a rainy night. The baby’s 23-year-old father argued with her 24-year-old mother on Thursday morning at about 11 a.m., according to the sheriff’s department, and then he drove away in the mom’s SUV with the baby.

The community rallied to help find the missing infant, with many people calling in tips to police. An Illinois State Police airplane and police dogs were used in the search. The father was found at about 8 p.m. but refused to give investigators any information, according to the sheriff’s department.

Around midnight, police considered suspending the search due to the dark and the difficult conditions but pressed on when new information came in. The News-Gazette in Champaign reports that someone spotted the father’s car, which led deputies to search the field.

Deputy Chad Beasley found the baby about 200 yards from the road, according to the sheriff.

The baby was reunited with her mom at the local hospital, according to a statement from the sheriff’s department. The dad, Thomas A. Boitnott, appeared in court Friday on charges of attempted murder, kidnapping and auto theft. A judge set bail at $1.5 million.

“Up until we find the car unoccupied and him without the baby, everybody had told us there is no way he would harm the child,” Chief Deputy Allen Jones told local reporters. ”It’s dark, it’s raining and these men and women searching are tromping through fields flooded from the recent rains.

“This was all deputies on foot. ... Some people call it luck. I call it God’s hand.”

» WATCH: Deputy Chad Beasley tells the story of how he found the baby