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Hours-Old Baby Girl Abandoned Naked in the Woods Stuns Authorities With Her ‘Miracle’ Survival

NewsPublished Aug 20, 2019
By Genny Glassman
baby found abandoned in the woodsABC News

Police are saying they've finally found the mother of a newborn baby girl who was discoveredleft in the woods without so much as a diaper to cover her body. Although police have yet to reveal the name of the mom, the likely hours-old baby who was found in Silver Spring, Maryland, is safe, reported ABC News. But authorities are still searching for answers to why the girl was left there in the first place.

The abandoned newborn was miraculously found alive after a passing stranger heard her cries on Friday.

The man, who has not been named, was walking by Friday when he heard a baby crying. He called police to report the baby, according to WJLA.

"He went to investigate the sound and found a naked baby approximately 10 feet from the sidewalk in the woods," the Montgomery County Department of Police explained in a statement to ABC News on Friday. "The female newborn was transported to a local hospital where she is in stable condition."

At the hospital, medical staff determined that the girl was only hours old.

Police launched an investigation to find the new mom, who likely needed medical attention. 

By Sunday, investigators had found her, but they have yet to reveal why she left her new daughter in the woods. Police said the mother was receiving medical care at the hospital, but did not reveal her name or what condition she was in. As for her daughter, the baby was listed as in stable condition as of Sunday night.

Police are using this story as an opportunity to remind people of safe haven laws.

For now, the girl remains in the custody of Montgomery County Child Welfare Services while the investigation is ongoing, WTOP reported.

Rebecca Innocenti, a spokesman for the Montgomery County Police Department, explained that new parents should be aware of safe haven laws, which state that parents can give up custody of their newborns to police stations or hospitals no questions asked up to 72 hours after birth. Maryland allows parents to do this for up to 10 days.

“In Maryland, no one ever has to abandon a newborn baby," the Maryland Department of Human Resources said in a statement to ABC News. "A person who invokes safe haven is immune from civil liability or criminal prosecution provided the child is unharmed."

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