PARIS –

French authorities were hunting Tuesday for a 17-day-old prematurely born baby boy who was abducted from the maternity ward of a Paris-region hospital, with his parents identified as the chief suspects.

Police issued an alert with appeals for information broadcast on radio, television and online.

It said the boy, called Santiago, needs constant medical care. It said he has blonde hair and was dressed in white velvet pajamas and an oversized brown T-shirt when he was abducted late Monday night from a hospital in Paris’ northern suburban region of Seine-Saint-Denis.

The police alert identified the baby’s 23-year-old father and 25-year-old mother as the only suspects and included photos of them both.

A phone number and an email address were provided for people to contact with information.