Dead baby girl wrapped in blanket left in box at birth center, Idaho group says
UPDATE: An 18-year-old woman was arrested in Twin Falls on suspicion of failing to report a death to law enforcement officials and the coroner, the Blackfoot Police Department said in an Nov. 22 Facebook post.
The original story is below.
A dead baby girl was abandoned in a box at a birth center in Idaho, police said.
The newborn was left in a Safe Haven Baby Box on Oct. 13 at the Grove Creek Medical Center in Blackfoot, the Twin Falls Police Department said in an Oct. 28 news release.
Medical workers removed her from the bassinet within a minute after the alarm went off, according to an Oct. 28 news release posted to Facebook by the Safe Haven Baby Boxes nonprofit.
The baby was wrapped in a blanket, and her placenta was still attached, the nonprofit said.
She had died “long before being placed in the baby box,” the group said.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes allow a mother in crisis to anonymously surrender a newborn they cannot care for at a location such as a fire station or medical center.
But anonymity is not granted when a child is not safely surrendered, the nonprofit said.
“We are heartbroken. Let this be clear: this is an illegal, deadly abandonment,” the nonprofit’s founder, Monica Kelsey, said in the Facebook post.
There is only one Safe Haven Baby Box in Idaho.
The nonprofit is working with the police investigation.
Since 2017, there have been 52 babies safely surrendered in the boxes across the country. Those children were adopted by families, the nonprofit said.
“When utilized, the program saves lives and protects women in crisis. However, in any situation where the Safe Haven Law is violated, our organization will work diligently with law enforcement for justice for the infant who is illegally abandoned,” Kelsey said.
Parents in crisis can call or text Safe Haven Baby Boxes at 1-866-992-2291.
Blackfoot is in southeastern Idaho.
This story was originally published October 29, 2024 at 5:50 PM with the headline "Dead baby girl wrapped in blanket left in box at birth center, Idaho group says."
