Woman reunites with birth father decades after abandonment in parking lot

A woman who was abandoned in a parking lot as a newborn has been reunited with her birth father thanks to a U.K. reality television show.

Key Takeaways:

• 24-year-old Sarah Meyer, who was abandoned in a parking lot as a newborn, has been reunited with her birth father on the U.K. television show Long Lost Family.

• The show was able to find her mother, but she did not respond to requests for comment, according to People.

• The woman was reunited with her birth father, who was unaware that she existed.

• Every U.S. state has a Safe Haven law to protect newborns from dangerous abandonment practices.

The Details:

In 2001, Sarah Meyer was found abandoned as a newborn in a parking lot in England when she was no more than an hour old. Her umbilical cord had been cut, but it had not been clamped, a sign that she was likely not born in a hospital setting. A nationwide search was launched to find her birth mother, who was in her late teens when she gave birth to Sarah.

“I was 30 minutes to an hour old,” she said. “So, I was literally fresh out of the womb.”

She added, “I was named Caroline after the nurse who looked after me. It’s like a little secret identity of mine. It’s a part of my history, which is very important to me. Even with my name now, my middle name is Caroline.”

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Ten days after she was found, police received a letter from Sarah’s birth mother. It said, “Please look after my little girl. I love her so much, but just can’t cope with another baby. Thank you to all the police officers involved, hospital staff, and the members of the public for their help. Thank you.”

Sarah was adopted at three months old and has wondered about her birth parents. “I’d like an explanation because it is something that is missing… to know where I come from… why was I abandoned?”

Although the research team from the show was able to find out who her birth mother was, she didn’t respond to requests for comments. She was a teenager when she gave birth and had allegedly not told the baby’s father that she was pregnant.

“It’s good to hear that she’s at least alive and is out there,” said Sarah. “It leaves the door open for her to come and meet me if she wants to. And I’ll never close that door… I want her to see that I’ve lived a good life and I want her to see that I’m not angry with her.”

The show researchers were able to locate Sarah’s father, and he wanted to meet his long-lost daughter. He explained that his relationship with Sarah’s birth mother was short-lived and that he had recently gotten married and had a daughter.

Her father’s name was kept private to protect her birth mother’s identity, but she was shown a picture of him. “Oh, wow,” she said. “That’s quite a lot. Means a lot.” She noted that she saw the resemblance between them.

Why it Matters:

Abandoning a newborn puts the baby’s life at risk and the parents could face arrest and prosecution as a result. Every U.S. state now has a Safe Haven law that allows parents to leave their newborn of a certain age in a specific location, such as a fire department or hospital, anonymously. In doing so, they will not face charges of child abandonment. This allows parents who feel unable to care for their newborn baby to safely surrender him or her without fear of prosecution. Thanks to the National Safe Haven Alliance, more than 5,000 babies have been saved since 1999.