On Saturday, Sept. 22, at 8:39 p.m. Van Buren Township Police Dispatch received a 911 call from an anonymous caller stating while driving by the Fire Station on Hull Road he observed a baby being dropped off and no one was answering the door.
VBT Police Captain Greg Laurain told the story in a news release on Tuesday.
The caller couldn’t give a description of the person, vehicle or say how he knew it was a baby being left, then hung up.
Van Buren Dispatch notified the fire crew personnel at station #1 of the call and upon checking the front door discovered a newborn baby girl on the front step wrapped in a towel.
Huron Valley Ambulance was called while fire crew personnel performed a medical evaluation on the newborn. The baby appeared to be in stable condition but was being treated for hypothermia and respiratory issues while in-route to University of Michigan Hospital.
Doctors at U of M stated the baby was just hours old and was in stable condition but the baby was admitted to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit for observation.
Police Investigators identified the 17-year-old 911caller and during an interview with police he admitted that he and his girl friend are the parents of the baby they left the on the step of the Fire Station door that night.
The caller further told police that they first went to the Oakwood Hospital Clinic in the City of Belleville but found that it was closed. Only after knocking on the Fire Station door and receiving no response did he call 911 to make sure the baby was taken in. The young parents told police that they were both afraid of reactions from their parents causing them to leave the baby at a safe location after birth.
Social Workers along with Child Protective Services were immediately notified and currently are taking an active role in the incident.
Under the “Safe Delivery of Newborns Law” that became effective Jan. 1, 2001, parents may surrender an infant to an emergency service provider, be that a hospital, fire department, police department or a call to 911 from any location and remain anonymous.
By surrendering the newborn, the parents are releasing the newborn to a child-placing agency to be placed for adoption. Parents will have 28 days to petition the Circuit Court, Family Division to regain custody of the newborn if they change their minds.
“We are glad that the parents made the decision to surrender the newborn to an emergency provider giving the infant a safe haven while allowing us and the proper agencies to intervene in this matter,” said Captain Laurain.