(DailyChive.com) – An 18-year-old woman from Idaho has been arrested after police say she left a deceased baby in a Safe Haven Baby Box at a hospital. Angel N. Newberry now faces charges for failing to report the infant’s death to law enforcement and the coroner, according to the Blackfoot Police Department. She has been booked into the Bingham County Jail.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes are designed to let parents safely and anonymously surrender newborns under 30 days old, as long as the baby is unharmed. The program ensures no legal consequences for parents who follow these rules. However, this protection does not apply if the baby is injured or deceased.
The case began on October 13, when police were called to Grove Creek Medical Center after a report of a dead infant in the baby box. Staff at the hospital responded immediately to an alarm that signals when a baby is placed in the box. However, they quickly discovered that the infant had already passed away before being left there.
In a statement shared on Facebook, Safe Haven Baby Boxes explained the situation. “Grove Creek Medical Center staff responded within a minute to the alarm. Sadly, they realized the baby had died long before being placed in the box,” the group wrote. The organization emphasized that Idaho’s Safe Haven Law only applies to healthy, unharmed infants. Since this case didn’t meet those criteria, it was not considered a legal surrender under state law.
Monica Kelsey, the founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, expressed her sadness about the situation. “This is a heartbreaking case of illegal abandonment,” she said. “The Safe Haven program is meant to ensure anonymity for parents only when the baby is surrendered unharmed.”
When the baby was found, she was wrapped in a blanket, and her placenta was still attached, Kelsey added.
The Safe Haven Baby Box at Grove Creek Medical Center had only been installed in July, making it the first of its kind in Idaho. Local authorities, including the Blackfoot Police and Twin Falls Police, are continuing their investigation. They noted that further details are limited due to the ongoing nature of the case and the possibility of additional charges.
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