Authorities in Florida are investigating after a newborn baby was found wrapped in a blanket on a hill early Saturday morning in the town of Mulberry, which is about 30 miles west of Tampa. Deputies with the Polk County Sheriff’s Office discovered the baby girl just before 2 a.m. after someone reported hearing an infant crying outside.
Deputies arrived at the scene and found the baby on a small hill near the Regal Loop Mobile Home Park off Bailey Road, according to a news release. She was still attached to the placenta, authorities said.
Polk County Fire Rescue medics checked the baby's body temperature.
First responders estimated that the baby was born approximately one hour before she was found, the sheriff’s office said. Deputies also noted the air temperature was in the lower 50s Saturday night, according to WFTV.
The baby was taken to a hospital and appears to be healthy and in stable condition, per the news outlet. Authorities have not provided additional updates on the infant since she was found.
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd issued a statement regarding the baby girl.
âIt was by the Grace of God that we found the abandoned baby girl when we did before exposure to the cold or any animals caused her any harm. She was left in an extremely vulnerable condition, but sheâs a strong little girl, and it looks like sheâs doing great,â the sheriff said, according to WFTV.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is reportedly working to locate the infant’s mother. A K-9 unit, drone, bloodhound, and aviation unit were used to search for the woman. In addition, deputies went door-to-door, hoping to find her, but they have been unsuccessful thus far.
The sheriff's office encouraged mothers to use the Florida Safe Haven Law.
“The Polk County Sheriffâs Office would like to remind mothers about Floridaâs Safe Haven Law, enacted in 2000, which allows for parents to leave their unharmed newborn child (under a week old) at any Safe Haven facility (hospitals or properly staffed EMS/Fire Station) anonymously, and without fear of prosecution,” the news release noted.
Earlier this month, a newborn baby was safely surrendered to a Safe Haven Baby Box at an Ocala, Florida, fire station. It was the first time the box had been used since it was installed in 2020.
Anyone has any information about the mother of this baby is asked to call the Polk County Sheriffâs Office at 863-298-6200.