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Baby abandoned at Lake Charles hospital ‘doing well,’ search continues for parents

Posted at 9:17 AM, Feb 22, 2019
and last updated 2019-02-22 10:29:04-05

According to KPLC, the newborn abandoned at a Lake Charles Hospital last week is ‘doing well’ and is currently in a foster home.

Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for Women
Lake Charles Memorial Hospital for Women

The baby girl was found last week, 50 yards from the entrance of Lake Charles Memorial Hospital Gauthier Campus in Lake Charles.

The child was estimated to have been outside for 15 minutes before being discovered. Deputies say the child was left completely naked in the grass and had just recently been born.  A woman walking out the hospital heard the infant cry and called deputies.  The sheriff believes the person who left the child had the best intentions but didn’t follow the necessary steps to legally abandon the child.

To read more on the Safe Haven Law, click here.

Deputies took the child into state custody and say she is currently with a foster family.

The Sheriff’s Office says they are still searching for the parents of the child. A spokesperson for the department tells KPLC that they are appealing to the mother to reach out and speak with them so they can figure out why she left the child.

A photo was released by the Sheriff’s Office on Thursday of a car that may be connected to the case.

suspect vehicle Lake Charles baby
Suspect vehicle Lake Charles baby
Courtesy KPLC / Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office

Surveillance video captured a white four-door vehicle in the parking lot around the same time the child was dropped off. Deputies say the car has a unique white b-pillar or break between the front and rear windows. Most cars have black, according to the department.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Calcasieu Parish Sheriff’s Office at 337-491-3605.

To read the original story:

Deputies looking for recently pregnant woman who left newborn in grass near hospital