New born baby found abandoned near Bear Creek Trail in Katy
KATY, Texas - A newborn baby is safe after being abandoned by a man in Katy on Saturday. Now, the police are searching for the person who left the infant alone.
The newborn baby was found unclothed and wrapped in a towel on a bridge that leads to the Bear Creek walking trail. Fortunately, some Good Samaritans found the child and called the police before the heat became a danger.
"Someone must have been going through something to have left their child there," said Brittany Barnes, who was visiting her mom who lives in the neighborhood.
Surveillance video shows the moment a man leaves the newborn baby on a small bridge in the Plantation Lakes neighborhood. The man left the infant and then ran away.
"The baby was a newborn, still had a fresh placenta on the baby, so it was freshly born this morning," said Juan Garcia, of the Harris County Sheriff's Office's Child Abuse Unit.
A few minutes later, a couple walking their dogs notice the infant on the bridge. They quickly picked up the child and immediately called for police. When officials arrive, the couple can be seen flagging down law enforcement for help.
"I spoke to the couple that discovered the child, and you know, the mom is in a state where she is very emotional because she has a child of her own," said Garcia.
The location where the baby was left abandoned is a popular area near the Bear Creek walking trail.
"They’ll walk back and forth. They’ll enter in here, and then they’ll come back out, but I don’t see it being somewhere where anyone would drop a baby," said Barnes.
Now, Harris County officials are reminding parents of the Baby Moses Law. The law gives parents who are unable to care for their child the choice to leave their infant with emergency medical workers.
"You can always go to a fire station, go to a hospital, you know, release and render the child to, you know, professional services," said Garcia.
"Tragic situation that the baby ended up there, you know, but at least the baby is safe," said Barnes.
The baby was taken to Methodist Hospital in stable condition. Officials said the person who left the baby here could be charged with abandoning and endangerment of a child.