Abandoned baby found alive after hours-long search

Earlier this week, police and first responders rescued an eight-month-old infant left abandoned in a field in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. As Today reported, the infant was found “alive and unharmed” after an hours-long search on the ground and via a helicopter overhead. 

The news of the infant’s safe recovery was shared by the Baton Rouge Police Department in a March 16 Facebook post.  

“Today, Baton Rouge Police Officers in collaboration with the Baton Rouge Fire Department, Parish Search and Rescue, East Baton Rouge Coroner’s Office, Emergency Medical Services, Acadian Ambulance and hospital staff preformed search and rescue procedures to locate an 8-month old infant,” the post reads. 

“The infant was taken to a local hospital for precautionary medical treatment,” the post continued. “It’s believed that the mother suffered apparent medical issues. No charges are pending at this point in time. This investigation remains ongoing.”

Around the time of the search, temperatures in the city had reportedly dropped to 50 degrees, and first responders were fearful the infant would suffer from hypothermia. After the baby’s mother helped the police with the location, a helicopter spotted the child near Saintsville Church. EMS spokesperson Mike Chustz noted that the infant “didn’t even cry” and was in good spirits.

“The timing didn’t give us a lot of hope, but the baby was tough,” Chustz said. 

According to the Advocate, the search began after the child’s mother, in need of medical treatment, turned herself in. Baton Rouge Fire Department spokesperson Curt Monte said the woman went to the Harding Road fire station on March 15 and was brought to the hospital. The next morning, she mentioned the child while being transported to another medical facility for treatment. 

BRFD contacted the woman’s family members, but they did not know the child’s location, saying that she had the infant with her when she left her apartment to leave for the fire station. Louisiana’s Safe Haven Law permits parents to leave newborns up to 60 days old at a designated location, such as a hospital, fire station, or EMS outpost if they feel unable to care for them.

BRPD spokesman Lt. Don Coppola said that due this mother’s medical issues, she is not facing charges for abandoning her eight-month-old child. 

In a March 16 statement, East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome thanked the first responders and community members behind the infant’s recovery. 

“The Lord guided your efforts today,” she said. “Should anyone be experiencing a mental health crisis, organizations like Capital Area Human Services are available to the public.”

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