A Chicago family found a newborn baby left on top of a trash can in an alley on Tuesday, despite the “no questions asked” Illinois Safe Haven law.
FOX 32 reports that a woman and her daughter heard cries coming from a nearby alley, close to their apartment, off of 1714 N. Keystone Avenue, on Tuesday. The pair walked through the alley, trying to find the source of the crying. When they found the baby, a boy, he was on top of a garbage can, barely breathing and blue and limp. They took the infant to a nearby fire station.
The baby’s umbilical cord was still attached, and according to officials, he was bleeding.
“This poor kid was minutes away from having no chance at all,” Chicago Fire Department Field Chief Patrick Fitzmaurice said during a Tuesday press conference. “I wasn’t ready to lose this one.”
WGN 9 reports that a family came forward and claimed that baby may belong to 19-year-old Marlen Ochoa-Uriostegui. Family members said Ochoa-Uriostegui was 9-months pregnant when she was last seen on April 22, while leaving Latino Youth High School.
The family is now asking authorities to do a DNA test on the child for confirmation.
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Paramedics arrived and after performing CPR, rushed the baby to the Norwegian American Hospital at around 4:11 p.m. The baby was listed in critical condition, but ultimately stabilized and transferred to Lurie Children’s Hospital in downtown Chicago.
A spokesperson for the fire department said that the baby is now using a breathing tube, but alert and “crying and kicking.”
“We were so lucky with this one,” paramedic Melanie Howe said during the Tuesday press conference, according to the Chicago Tribune. “We’re so lucky that this little guy has improved so much.”
Police haven’t disclosed whether they know who abandoned the baby.
In 2001, Illinois passed the Safe Haven law, which allows parents of unwanted infants to drop them off at a police station, fire station, or a hospital, no questions asked. The baby must be a month old or younger, according to the Illinois Department of Family and Children Services.
“Come to us, man. If she would’ve called 911 we would’ve taken the baby to one hospital and her to another hospital,” Paramedic field chief Patrick Fitzmaurice said.
“We won’t judge. Don’t leave your baby in an alley. Come to a firehouse. Leave the baby there. Give the kid a chance.”
Check back with CrimeOnline as additional details become available.
[Feature Photo: Pixabay]
