Memphis Police said they responded to a call about an abandoned baby on Wednesday evening. When police arrived at the scene, they found the baby on the sidewalk under the breezeway of the building. He was quickly transported to a local hospital in non-critical condition.
Nearby neighbors who witnessed the baby told Fox13 they believed the infant was only a few hours old because his umbilical cord was still attached. Usually, the cord naturally falls off within one to three weeks after birth.
In footage uploaded by witnesses on Facebook live, a person swaddled the baby close in an attempt to warm him up, Fox13 reported.
A few hours later, Memphis Police were able to locate the infant’s mother and no charges were filed. In Tennessee, Safe Haven Law protects women who decide to surrender unharmed babies to designated facilities within two weeks of birth they will not face risk of prosecution.
The law, which passed in 2001, was enacted in hopes of reducing the number of unsafe abandonment of babies.
“As long as the baby is unharmed and the child is surrendered within two weeks of birth, the mother – or parents – will not be prosecuted and is assured of complete confidentiality,” the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services said.
While Safe Haven laws vary depending on the state, all 50 states allow for the safe surrender of a baby up to a certain age. The law also created public safe haven boxes in certain states which allow people to safely place their child in the box which leaves them inside a building so they do not need to be surrendered outside.
Most safe haven baby boxes are located at local fire departments and hospitals and are equipped to contact 911 when the outer door is open. Once the baby is placed inside the box and the door is closed, it automatically locks from the outside until authorities arrive at the scene.
Memphis police are still investigating but said the baby is healthy and has been discharged from the hospital.
In California, a mother was arrested on suspicion of killing her newborn baby and abandoning it in a trashcan. The baby was found by authorities in Perris, California in January and an autopsy showed the baby had been alive at the time of birth and prior to being left in the trash.
After a nine-month investigation, police were able to locate the infant’s 31-year-old mother and she was arrested and charged with murder. Details about the infant’s father were not released.