Unidentified Newborn - Chesterfield VA

A newborn baby girl not more than 36 hours
old was found crying in a Ukrop's shopping bag yesterday afternoon in a
neighborhood near Courthouse and Reams roads in Chesterfield County.
The baby still had her umbilical cord attached and was wrapped in
several small blankets and a woman's white skirt, Chesterfield police
Sgt. John Street said.
The infant was discovered by several neighborhood mothers about 4
p.m. at a school bus stop in the 700 block of Vickilee Court after a
dog sniffed the bag and the girl began to cry, Street said. One of the
mothers took her inside until an emergency crew could arrive.
The same bag had been seen in the neighborhood about 6:45 a.m., but
no one noticed or heard anything unusual then. The bag was in a yard
near a mailbox in front of a home, Street said.
The infant, reported in good condition, was taken to CJW Medical
Center (Chippenham). Street said the child was full term and was not
more than 36 hours old.
Anyone with information about the baby or her mother can call Chesterfield police at 748-1251 or Crime Solvers at 748-0660.
The baby was the second newborn found abandoned in the Richmond area
in the past two months. On Aug. 27, a woman out for an evening walk
discovered a naked newborn boy on the front lawn of a house in eastern
Henrico County. The identity of the baby and his parents remains a
mystery.
A 2004 state law that gives troubled parents a safe haven for their
children makes it unnecessary to abandon babies, authorities say.
The safe-haven law allows parents to take a child with the first 14
days of birth to a hospital that provides 24-hour emergency services or
to a rescue squad that employs emergency medical technicians. Once
done, parents could be protected from prosecution for abuse, neglect or
endangerment.

Chesterfield
County police have released two photos of the infant discovered this
week in a shopping bag near a county bus stop.


They say the child is not a newborn, as originally thought. They
believe the little girl is at least three weeks old and was delivered
at a medical facility. Thursday afternoon, police released pictures of
the baby, hoping someone will recognize her and lead them to the
child's mother.

CBS 6 first told you about the abandoned baby, Monday, when she was
found in a brown paper shopping bag left near a school bus stop.
Neighbors first discovered the bag at 7:00 a.m. but believed to be filled with recyclables.
Later that afternoon, the same neighbor heard crying coming from the bag and saw the baby
wrapped in towels and a white skirt.

The baby is now out of the hospital and in the custody of Child Protective Services.

If you recognize the baby and/or know the mother's identity please contact Crime Solvers at 748-0660.

Chesterfield County police now believe that
a baby girl found abandoned in a county neighborhood Monday may be as
old as 3 weeks and could have been delivered at a medical facility.
The child has been released from CJW Medical Center (Chippenham) and
continues to do well. “She’s now in the custody of the Department of
Social Services and is being loved and cared for at an undisclosed
foster home,“ said police spokeswoman Ann Reid.
The infant was found crying in a Ukrop’s shopping bag about 4 p.m.
Monday at a school bus stop in the 700 block of Vickilee Court, near
Courthouse and Reams roads. The child was wrapped in several small
blankets and a white skirt.
Police initially said they believed the girl was no more than 36
hours old. But after consulting with medical professionals, authorities
now believe the child could be as old as 3 weeks.
Authorities encouraged anyone with information about the child or
her parents to call Chesterfield police at 748-1251 or Crime Stoppers
at 748-0660.

A baby girl found abandoned in a
Chesterfield County neighborhood Monday may be as old as three weeks
and could have been delivered at a medical facility, authorities
disclosed yesterday.

After consulting with medical professionals, police and
socialservices officials revised their estimation of the girl’s age,
which was initially listed at 36 hours or less.

“There’s no precise way to know something like that,“ said Dr.
Suzanne Fountain, assistant director of the Chesterfield Department of
Social Services.

Because the child had been well-cared-for before being abandoned,
authorities now suspect that she had been delivered at a hospital or
other medical facility, said Chesterfield police Sgt. Ed Wessel.
Initial reports that the girl’s umbilical cord was still attached were
not accurate, Wessel added.

The still-unidentified child has been released from CJW Medical
Center (Chippenham) and continues to do well, police said. She was
placed in the custody of the Chesterfield Department of Social Services
“and is being loved and cared for at an undisclosed foster home,“
police spokeswoman Ann Reid said.

Police yesterday released photos of the girl and provided additional
information about her case, hoping to generate tips about the identity
of the child and her parents.

“Social-services confidentiality provisions basically dictate that
we keep all information about the children of families we serve
completely confidential,“ Fountain said. “But what we’ve decided to do
in this situation is share the status of this child in hopes that we
can help locate her family and identify her.“

The infant was found in a Ukrop’s shopping bag about 4 p.m. Monday
at a school bus stop in the 700 block of Vickilee Court, near
Courthouse and Reams roads. Several neighborhood mothers made the
discovery after a dog sniffed the bag and the girl began to cry, police
said. The child was wrapped in several small blankets and a woman’s
white skirt.

The same paper bag had been seen in the neighborhood about 6:45 a.m.
that same day, but no one noticed or heard anything unusual then. The
bag was placed in a yard near a mailbox in front of a home.

Fountain yesterday made a personal appeal for the girl’s mother or other family members to come forward.

“This baby needs information that only they possess,“ Fountain said.
“I want them to understand that they’re still in a position to help
this baby have a better start in life. The child is going to have a
lifelong need for family history and family medical information for her
health and well-being.“

The child still needs to know about her birth parents even if they won’t be the ones raising her, Fountain added.

It was quite obvious, Fountain said, that the baby had initially
been well-cared-for and that the infant was intentionally left in a
place where she would be found quickly. “So that tells me that there
was concern there,“ she said.

Aside from a child’s need to know about her family’s medical
background, Fountain said, “we know from experience that that baby will
always want to know about the mother who gave birth to her and about
her birth family.“

“And when she’s old enough, we want to be able to help her know more
than just the circumstances of her appearance in our community,“
Fountain said.

Anyone with information about the girl or her mother can call Chesterfield police at 748-1251 or Crime Stoppers at 748-0660.

http://www.nbc12.com/Global/story.asp?S=12414485
Abandoned baby case goes before judge


Posted: May 03, 2010 7:35 AM EDT

Monday, May 3, 2010 7:35 AM EST
Updated: May 03, 2010 7:35 AM EDT

Posted by Steve Taggart - email
RICHMOND, VA (WWBT) - Time is running out for the parents of an
abandoned baby girl found in Chesterfield to come forward.
They have until tonight to claim the little girl who was found last
October in a paper shopping bag on Vicki Lee Court. If the parents
don't claim the child, a judge is expected to terminate parental rights.
Anyone with information is asked to call Chesterfield Police at
748-0660.

No new info found at this time.