A Nebraska woman was arrested Wednesday for allegedly leaving her newborn in a bag on a stranger’s front porch.
Maria Piaz-Perez, 28, was charged with child abuse and abandonment after she was allegedly seen Monday leaving her baby in front of an Omaha home, getting into the passenger seat of a vehicle, and leaving. KETV reported that the newborn was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition.
Police said in a statement they managed to identify and apprehend Piaz-Perez after tracking down the car she left in.
The baby was reportedly left in a plastic duffel bag and wrapped in a sweater. They were also covered in blood and their umbilical cord was still attached, according to WOWT.
“I wasn’t sure it was a baby, so I called the police,” Vicent Cruz, the homeowner who found the baby on his doorstep, told WOWT. “We were afraid because it was a suspicious package, and it was moving.”
Citing police, the Omaha World-Herald reported that Piaz-Perez initially denied giving birth but ultimately suggested she was the baby’s mother.
The newborn is to remain in foster care pending the outcome of an April 16 court hearing.
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[Featured image: Maria Piaz-Perez/Omaha Police Department]