Police in Texas, are looking for the parents of a newborn baby found on a walking trail in the hot sun, its umbilical cord still attached. Investigators believe the infant was only a few hours old, and if it weren't for a family out walking their dog, the baby might not have survived. Emergency responders took her to an area hospital, and she is reportedly in good condition.
In a news conference posted on Facebook on June 15, Harris County Sheriff's Office Sergeant Juan Garcia, said the witnesses saw a man leave the baby girl wrapped in a towel on a hiking trail. The witnesses found the baby and rushed to call 911, which likely saved the baby's life. Now, police are asking for help finding the man and the infant's mother.
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The baby was likely born early in the morning.
According to Garcia, deputies arrived near the 5500 block of Casa Martin Drive in Katy after a couple called the police for help. The man and woman were reportedly out for a walk around 9 a.m., and saw a man walking away from a white towel on the trail. The couple approached the towel on the trail and made a shocking discovery. Inside the towel was a newborn baby girl with her umbilical cord still attached.
The couple was stunned by what they saw.
Daniela Fedele told KPRC she and her husband were walking, and she wasn't sure what was on the bridge.
"We were coming back from our walk this morning, heading home because it was hot. When I went ahead and looked closer, that's when I noticed a little baby would like her two feet moving. I think it was like, am I seeing this, right? Like, are my eyes really seeing a baby here?" she recalled.
She called 911, and her husband, Luis Martin, cradled the baby in disbelief.
"I hold it. The baby opens their eyes to me, looked at me. We make eye contact. And I'm like, how can somebody just do this?" he told KPRC.
It was extremely hot in Texas over the weekend.
Garcia said that temperatures were high, but the witnesses found the baby before the extreme Texas heat set in. The child appeared to be a newborn baby who had likely been born just a short time before she was found.
"The two witnesses that were thankfully walking on the trail with their child and their dogs were a blessing," Garcia said.
Garcia reminded parents of state law.
He said that parents who feel unable to take care of their newborn have options. They can take their baby to a fire station or hospital and give the baby to a professional who can help.
The Texas Baby Moses or Safe Haven Law allows parents to bring their newborn to a designated place and surrender it within its first 60 days of life without fear of prosecution if the baby is safe and unharmed.
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Police have no leads in the case yet.
According to Garcia, the male suspect who allegedly left the newborn baby alone has not been identified. He was reportedly wearing a black shirt and possibly gray pants. The man was last seen on foot on the Plantation Lakes trail on Sunday morning.
Anyone with info should contact the Harris County Sheriff's Office at 713-830-3250 or @CrimeStopHOU at 713-222-TIPS.
