A teenage boy has been arrested on suspicion of leaving a dead baby girl in a Safe Haven baby box in Blackfoot, Idaho, police said.
“The Blackfoot Police Department (BPD) announced that an officer arrested Angel N. Newberry, 18, of Twin Falls, on a Bingham County Felony Arrest Warrant for failure to report a death. He was transported to the county jail,” KTVB7 reported on friday.
Due to the sensitive nature of the case, police said they are limiting the information they release to the public. However, the report said they may face further charges in the case.
A law enforcement official said:
The Safe Haven Baby Box is intended to allow parents to safely and anonymously hand over their newborn infant under 30 days of age without legal repercussions, provided the child is intact. Unfortunately, the adoption of injured or dead infants is not protected by this program or by Idaho law.
As Breitbart News previously reported, the deceased newborn baby girl was found Oct. 13 in Idaho's only Safe Haven baby box at Grove Creek Medical Center in Blackfoot, about two hours from Twin Falls. .
Grove Creek Medical Center staff immediately responded to an alarm indicating the baby had been placed inside the box and removed the baby within a minute. Safe Haven Baby Boxes said in a press release posted on Facebook. The organization said that when the baby was removed, staff “immediately realized” that the baby had died long before it was placed in the baby box.
The surrender was not legal under Idaho's safe haven law, which allows for the surrender of an unharmed, healthy infant.
“We are heartbroken. Let us be clear: this is illegal and deadly abandonment. Anonymity will only be granted if the infant is safely surrendered, fully intact.” Monica Kelsey, founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, said in a statement at the time. “We are cooperating fully with the investigation and are providing all the information we have to the local authorities. “When the baby was placed in the box, it was found that it was wrapped in a blanket with the placenta still attached. I did.”
“As the only organization offering an anonymous surrender option, we are at the forefront of educating the public on how this program works. “We will continue to educate the public on the clear differences between a lawful and safe extradition,” she added.
Kelsey posted a video update on Facebook shortly after the discovery, saying the parents' identities were known to police.
“It’s not because these boxes have cameras, these boxes don’t have cameras,” she said. “It's either outdated police work or she came forward.”
Baby boxes are temperature-controlled incubators that are often built into the exterior walls of fire stations, police stations, and hospitals and can be accessed from inside. At-risk mothers can safely and legally keep their newborns indoors. Once the baby is inside the baby box, the outer door is locked and the mother has time to leave before an alarm sounds to alert emergency responders and hospital staff to the child's presence.
The baby will then be immediately removed and sent to the hospital for health checks. From there, the baby is usually taken into state custody and is often immediately adopted.
The Idaho Box is located at 350 degrees north meridian. officially celebrated In July.
In March, Idaho lawmakers unanimously passed an amendment to the current Safe Haven Baby Act that would allow the use of Safe Haven Baby Boxes. According to to idaho state journal. Idaho Governor Brad Little (R) quickly signed the law into law, which went into effect on July 1.
In Idaho, healthy, intact infants up to 30 days old may be placed in a baby box or delivered in-person to a hospital, fire department, emergency medical provider, doctor, or nurse. According to Go to Safe Haven Baby Box.
The organization says 52 infants have been legally surrendered to Safe Haven Baby Boxes since 2017, and each infant has been adopted.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her at @thekat_Hamilton.
