Kansas City, Mo. ? Five Missouri men were collectively named National Officer of the Year for their roles in finding a baby who was cut from her mother’s womb and capturing the woman accused of the gruesome act.

Nodaway County Sheriff Ben Espy, Cpl. Jeffery M. Owen and Sgt. David Merrill, both of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Maryville investigator Randy Strong and FBI Special Agent Kurt Lipanovich were presented the award Friday in Washington by Atty. Gen. Alberto Gonzales in Washington, D.C.

On Dec. 16, the mother of 23-year-old Bobbi Jo Stinnett found her daughter dead in the younger woman’s Skidmore home, with the baby she had been carrying removed from her body.

Espy, the first law enforcement officer at the scene, issued an Amber Alert for a red car that had been seen parked at Stinnett’s home.

Officials traced e-mail messages between Stinnett and a woman who claimed to be a fellow dog breeder to Lisa Montgomery, 37, of Melvern, Kan. The baby was found Dec. 17 in Kansas with Montgomery, who officials said had been showing the girl off around the community as her own.

“A missing child is every parent’s worst nightmare,” Gonzales said. “Every day, the courageous men and women of law enforcement work tirelessly to recover missing and exploited children across our nation. We are grateful for their dedication, and today we recognize their valiant efforts to apprehend would-be predators and keep our communities safe.”

Montgomery faces a federal charge of kidnapping resulting in death. The baby, named Victoria Jo, was returned to her father, Zeb Stinnett.

Strong, who at the time of the killing had a daughter who was expecting a baby, said the case had deeply affected everybody involved – including investigators.

“I was up all night,” he said. “It was just exhausting, but you couldn’t sleep. This was one of those cases that grabs you, and you say, ‘I’ve got to see this through to the end.”‘

The officers were honored as part of a ceremony marking National Missing Children’s Day.

“I have to believe there is no more joyous feeling in the world than being reunited with a son or daughter who was missing,” Gonzales said.