Newborn Abandoned at Church Expected To Live

Big Bear, Ca, September 28, 2010, 12:00pm – On Friday evening, September 24, 2010 at 7:29 p.m., Sheriff’s Dispatch received an anonymous call from a female that an infant had been left in the entryway to a church. Deputies were sent to the location, where they discovered a newborn baby boy wrapped in a towel on the front steps. The temperature was 46 degrees, so a deputy immediately took the baby to his patrol car, turned on the heater and summoned medical aid. Medical personnel took the infant to Bear Valley Hospital for treatment. He was then taken to Loma Linda Medical Center for further treatment. The staff treating the infant said he was, at best, a few hours old. He is currently in stable condition in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit where he is expected to survive and is in the custody of Child Protective Services. An investigation was initiated and by Saturday morning, detectives had identified the baby’s mother. She is not in-custody at this time; however a report will be forwarded to the District Attorney’s Office for review. California law SB 1368 allows the parent of a newborn infant – within 3 days – to legally surrender their baby, anonymously and without fear of prosecution, to any employee at any hospital emergency room or other designated fire station in California. In addition, SB 1368 allows for a two-week “cooling off” period, allowing the parent the opportunity to reconsider the decision, and work to reclaim their child. Since this law took effect January 1st, 2001, more than 300 babies have been safely surrendered. The church where the baby was left is not a safe surrender site and was not open at the time.