Kansas City, Mo. ? Victoria Jo Stinnett, the infant girl cut from the womb in a grisly attack that left her mother dead, is “4 months old and beautiful,” her father said Monday.

In a statement filled with praise for members of law enforcement and thanks for well-wishers from around the world, Zeb Stinnett offered a glimpse of his life with his daughter. Prosecutors have charged a Kansas woman with killing Victoria’s mother, 23-year-old Bobbie Jo Stinnett, and cutting her open with a kitchen knife to steal her unborn child.

The attack sparked a two-state search that ended when authorities arrested Lisa M. Montgomery, of Melvern, Kan., who prosecutors have said showed the baby off as her own. Montgomery is charged with the federal crime of kidnapping resulting in death. Prosecutors have yet to say if they will seek her execution.

On Monday, Stinnett included three photos of his daughter, whom he called Tori Jo, and promised to tell the little girl about everyone who help bring her home safely.

“She has three great loves right now — eating, sleeping and smiling,” Stinnett said. “Believe it or not, the 5-pound, 11-ounce baby I held in a Kansas hospital last December now weighs 15-pounds, 8-ounces, most of it cheeks.”

Bobbie Jo Stinnett was eight months pregnant with her first child when she was attacked Dec. 16 at her home in Skidmore, about 85 miles northwest of Kansas City. The same day, authorities have said, Montgomery called her husband from Topeka, Kan., and told him she had just delivered a baby.

In his statement, Zeb Stinnett thanked reporters for their contribution to Victoria Jo’s safe recovery, but asked they respect his privacy. He has consistently declined interview requests and his statement Monday said he had no plans to grant any in the foreseeable future.

Stinnett said members of his family, including his mother and mother-in-law, were helping him care for Victoria Jo. He has returned to his job at a small engine factory in Maryville, said Daniel Madden, an official at the nearby Conception Abbey, who is serving as his spokesman.

Along with a long list of thanks to many officials and community members involved in the search, Stinnett said he was reading each of the many e-mails, cards and letters of support he had received. He asked that his public silence not be misinterpreted as a sign of ingratitude, saying his family has been “humbled and awed by the kindness that has flooded into our lives.”

“There is no way to thank each person who has reached out to us, but I hope you all know that you have given us a priceless gift,” Stinnett said.

Montgomery is scheduled to stand trial in April 2006. Susan Hunt, Montgomery’s attorney, said Monday that, for now, she didn’t plan to argue her client was incompetent to stand trial.