Unidentified Newborn - Jacksonville FL

Jacksonville police are trying to find out who left a baby in a trash can at a church on the Southside Monday night.Police
said a bystander called them after seeing a woman abandon a baby in
front of Greater Works Christian Ministries in the 9000 block of Beach
Boulevard.

Officers said the newborn child was alive and covered in blood.According to a police report, the caller said he "saw a woman put what appeared to be a baby in front of the business."Once
police arrived, an officer noticed a "large green trash can tipped over
on its side," and once the officer looked in, he found a "small newborn
baby," according to the report.Not only was that baby found inside of a trash can, police said the baby's umbilical cord was still attached.The report also said the baby was "wrapped in a red blanket and covered in blood after birth."Police said the baby was then taken to Baptist Hospital, but because of federal law, there is no more information available.This isn't the first time a baby has been abandoned in Jacksonville.In July of 2007, residents living at the Beachwood apartments found a little girl in a Dumpster.Under the safe haven law, parents are allowed to drop off newborns at hospitals and fire stations with no questions asked.Last February, a newborn baby was left at a Mandarin fire station hours after he was born.As
for the baby found in front of the church on Monday, a representative
with the Department of Children and Families said it is investigating.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office found a newborn baby in a trash can outside a church.The child was taken to an area hospital and listed in good condition Wednesday.Deputies
found the baby girl early Tuesday after receiving a 911 call from a man
who would only identify himself as "Mr. Smith."


The baby was wrapped in a red blanket and covered with blood and afterbirth, with the umbilical cord still attached.Police
urged anyone with thoughts of abandoning a baby to use the Safe Haven
law, which allows children up to 7 days old to be dropped at any
24-hour hospital, fire rescue station or emergency medical services
station, with no questions asked.

A 37-year-old man was arrested Thursday after police said he left a live newborn girl in a trash can and called 911.Police believe the man is the baby’s father and he took the child from her 17-year-old mother just moments after she gave birth.
Demetrius
Lamont Clark was arrested on charges of unlawful sexual activity, child
neglect and contributing to the delinquency of a minor. He’s believed
to have fathered the child with a runaway girl who has been missing
from New York for more than a year.No charges have been filed at this time against the mother, who was not named because she’s a minor.“Right now we are treating her as a victim,” Lt. Robert Schnoover, of the Sheriff’s Office’s sex crime unit, said.About
5 a.m. Tuesday police received a 911 call from a "Mr. Smith" on a pay
phone saying he thinks a baby was left in a green trash can outside
Greater Works Christian Ministries on Beach Boulevard, police said. The
newborn girl was wrapped in a red blanket and covered in blood and
afterbirth, with the umbilical cord still attached.The abandoned baby was treated at the hospital, but was in good health. The question came down to where the child came from.Under
Florida’s Safe Haven law, new parents who are in crisis can leave a
child, 7 days old or younger, at a hospital, fire station or emergency
medical services center, without any legal consequence. This is, of
course, unless there is any child abuse or neglect, in which case
charges can still be filed.In Tuesday’s case, investigators
wanted to locate the 911 caller, who might be able to shed some light
on what happened. The caller didn’t leave a phone number or full name.“I
may be crazy, but I was taking a walk before work and I saw a woman put
something in front of Greater Works Ministries ... I think it might be
a baby,” the man said on the 911 call.Police traced the phone
call to a pay phone and released a surveillance photo of a dreadlocked
man they believe made the call. From there, about 50 people called with
tips.One tipster described the man as “Lamont” and provided a location.Police
interviewed Clark and discovered that he was the likely father of the
child. It was also confirmed that the mother was a 17-year-old runaway
from Endicott, N.Y., according to police reports. Clark apparently once
dated the girl’s mother and let the runaway stay with him for about a
year.The baby is in the care of the Florida Department of Children and Families and is in good medical condition.“Everyone's saying she’s a beautiful girl,” Schnoover said.Children
and Families spokesman John Harrell said the girl will be placed in
foster care as the investigation continues. He said it’s too early to
discuss permanent placement for the child.“It’s going to take
some time, but obviously we need to get to the bottom of this,” he
said. “But I can tell you that during this whole process the child will
be taken care of and our first priority is this child’s safety.”Harrell
said this case underscores the importance of the Safe Haven Law. It’s
possible that a lot of this trouble could have been avoided if the
child was dropped off at an approved Safe Haven site and not discarded
in the trash.“Obviously we were very disturbed when we heard
this news,” he said. “We can’t believe anyone would do that. We’re glad
the child was found. The situation could have been a lot worse.”

TomTerrific0420 wrote:Jacksonville police are trying to find out who left a baby in a trash can at a church on the Southside Monday night.Police
said a bystander called them after seeing a woman abandon a baby in
front of Greater Works Christian Ministries in the 9000 block of Beach
Boulevard.

Officers said the newborn child was alive and covered in blood.According to a police report, the caller said he "saw a woman put what appeared to be a baby in front of the business."Once
police arrived, an officer noticed a "large green trash can tipped over
on its side," and once the officer looked in, he found a "small newborn
baby," according to the report.Not only was that baby found inside of a trash can, police said the baby's umbilical cord was still attached.The report also said the baby was "wrapped in a red blanket and covered in blood after birth."Police said the baby was then taken to Baptist Hospital, but because of federal law, there is no more information available.This isn't the first time a baby has been abandoned in Jacksonville.In July of 2007, residents living at the Beachwood apartments found a little girl in a Dumpster.Under the safe haven law, parents are allowed to drop off newborns at hospitals and fire stations with no questions asked.Last February, a newborn baby was left at a Mandarin fire station hours after he was born.As
for the baby found in front of the church on Monday, a representative
with the Department of Children and Families said it is investigating.

I just don't get it. They have the Safe Haven Law why in the world do these women not take advantage of this?

The newborn baby found in Southside trash can is doing well as the state tries to find her a home.
John
Harrell with Florida Department of Children and Families says it takes
some time to explore all of the possible avenues. "Our first objective
is going to be to find any suitable relatives who could care for the
child," says Harrell. He says they'll do home studies and background
checks on any potential home and new parent for the child.The
father is facing several charges in the case, as police say he put the
infant in the garbage. The mother, a 17-year-old runaway from New
York, has not been charged.