I am so glad this story had a happy ending.
My childhood Yorkie was almost nabbed a few times and I know how awful it feels to be so helpless and scared that you may never see your baby again. The first time I was 8 and Kiwi and I were going to through the hallway where my mom works and she was following me...this lady waiting for the elevator stopped me and said she loved my dog and asked what kind was she and what was her name, etc...and I told her and then she got into the elevator and we went to leave and she started calling 'Kiwi Come' and Kiwi was such a good listener she almost went...I had to bend down and snatch her up. I ran back to my mom and told her. Oy! Then when she was a lot older she wandered away into the park next to our house and we looked everywhere for her. It was morning and it wasn't until 8pm that someone called. They had found her early in the morning (right after she wandered off) and didn't call til 8! Her daughter wanted to keep her and she almost gave in. Even though she had a tag with our number on it! The nerve. Thank goodness her conscious got the better of her and she called us.
Anyway...soo happy you found her and they released her. I hope they weren't being evil and they just let her in to protect her and then once they saw you were looking for her they let her go. It sounds suspicious though because they didn't come out and give her to you.
Yay...you have your baby!!!