At 6 months old, the baby is too old to be given up with no questions asked under the state's newly revised Safe Haven Law. It says children 30 days old and younger can be left at hospitals and police or fire stations without fear of prosecution.
There's no word yet on whether the mother will be charged.
The baby girl is safe and doing well, according to police who cared for her before turning her over to the custody of DCFS.
>According to authorities, the mother went into the police station at 7th Street and Cottage Grove, mumbled something to the effect that she had forgotten something and would be right back. She never returned.
"After a few minutes, they realized the baby had been left behind. That's not a problem. We're glad she did that. She's a beautiful baby, and we've already had a ton of people calling to ask if it's possible to adopt. We don't deal in adoptions, but we would like to meet up with the mother and find out if she did this of her own will," said Lt. Laurel Bresnahan of the Chicago Police Department.
"The first thing we think about is, is the baby safe? Even though this is outside the parameters of the Safe Haven Law, we're thankful the parents tried to follow the spirit of the law, if not the letter, and that this baby is safe," the Save Abandoned Babies Foundation's Jessica Martinez said.
Police say the baby was dressed for the cold weather and showed no signs of neglect.
