Police in Port Jervis, New York are saying some teenagers just found a newborn infant with his umbilical cord still attached in a parking lot upstate.
Someone living nearby the parking lot called up authorities when one of her teenagers came home saying they had found a baby on the ground, after first thinking it had to be a doll.
Turns out, this was an actual, living human being that someone had carelessly left on a rock with no clothing on, even though the temperatures dropped to below freezing recently.
Sadly, when the teenagers found the baby he was no longer alive.
“Anybody who would do this is like, less than human,” Brandon Rivera, who lives nearby the crime scene, said to WDAM7. “That’s crazy. I feel for the baby and that’s it.”
New York State has something called the Abandoned Infant Protection Act in place, which means if a mom doesn’t want her baby, she can safely and anonymously leave the child at a fire department, hospital, or police station without being prosecuted.
Authorities have revealed that they have found the mom of this poor baby and they are currently interviewing her.
They are not yet releasing her name to the public since she has not been officially charged with a crime and autopsy results of this baby are still pending. Despite this, the police still need your help.
If you have any information related to this case, please call the Port Jervis Police Department at 845-856-5101.
The Port Jervis Police Department released this on Facebook:
Press Release: City of Port Jervis Police Department
Subject: Deceased Infant found in vacant lot
Port Jervis, New York
Date: 13 November 2019
For Immediate Release
Chief of Police William J. Worden
District Attorney David Hoovler
On 12 November 2019 at approximately 10:27 pm, Port Jervis City Police Officers responded to a vacant lot located at 39 Orange Street at the intersection with Hornbeck Avenue in the City’s Third Ward, for a report of a deceased infant observed lying on the ground inside the vacant lot.
Officers responded to the scene and located the deceased infant who appeared to have been born recently with an umbilical cord still attached.
Based upon circumstances and information encountered at the scene, officers sealed off the scene as a crime scene for forensic processing.
Port Jervis City Police Detectives and Uniformed Patrol Officers with the assistance of investigators with the New York State Police Forensic Identification Unit, Orange County District Attorney’s Office and Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office conducted a thorough investigation which included working throughout the night to forensically process the scene and interview neighbors and potential witnesses in an attempt to ascertain the facts and circumstances that occurred prior to, and leading up to, the infant’s death.
An autopsy was performed by the Office of the Orange County Medical Examiner earlier this date and detectives are awaiting results of toxicology and further testing.
Detectives have identified and interviewed the mother of the infant and her name is not being released at this time as the investigation is still continuing.
The Port Jervis Police Department Detective Unit is continuing the investigation into the child’s death with the assistance of our partners at the New York State Police Forensic Identification Unit, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office and the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Police are urging members of the public to contact the Port Jervis Police Department at 845-856-5101 if they should have information related to this incident. Updated information will be provided within the next couple of days as it develops.
The members of the Port Jervis Police Department ask the public to keep the young infant in their thoughts and prayers.
