The woman gave her identity as 21-year-old Mariel Ciro when she was admitted to Northwest Community Hospital on September 16th. Her healthy baby girl, Jessica, was born that day in trying circumstances. Two weeks later, Jessica was found in the 3100-block of Lee Street in Franklin Park strapped into to the same baby car seat her mother used to take her home from the hospital.
After seeing the story of the abandoned baby on September 30th, an anonymous tipster told Franklin Park Police that Jessica had been under observation at Northwestern Community Hospital.
"It was a situation where we had to go to grand jury for subpoenas for all the medical records of the hospitals for all the babies born in the last two weeks which was a monumental amount of investigation we were starting to go through," said Chief Thomas Wolfe, Franklin Park Police.
The baby was wrapped in two layers of clothing when she was found by people searching the debris for valuables. Police say she was in there for two hours -- and if the mother was desperate, she could have left Jessica anywhere deemed a safe haven -- hospitals, police and fire stations, even a grocery store if all else failed.
Baby Jessica has been placed with foster parents in Schaumberg. Authorities said there was no reason to not let her go home from the hospital with her mother because she had visited the baby many times.
"We suspect that because of the area she was at with the baby when she was in labor -- that was Mt. Prospect, we suspect she may either work or live in Mt. Prospect or live and work in Franklin Park," said Chief Wolfe. "It's really kind of difficult to understand why a mother would leave her baby in a debris pile like that."
If the woman comes forward, the state's attorney will determine what charges- if any- should be brought.
