CARROLLTON (CBSDFW.COM) – An 18-year-old came forward and identified herself as the mother of a dead newborn found in a Carrollton cemetery in March.
The newborn was found dead in a flower pot. The baby girl was 34 weeks to full term, her umbilical cord was still attached and she weighed six pounds when a caretaker at Perry Cemetery found her.
Perry Cemetery in Carrollton (credit: CBS 11 News)
The teenager told police news coverage prompted her to come forward. Police said she’s cooperating with their investigation.
According to Texas Safe Haven laws, a parent can leave their baby, up to 60 days old, with an employee on duty at any hospital, emergency medical services provider or child welfare agency in Texas.
A distressed parent who is unable or unwilling to care for their infant can give up custody of their baby, no questions asked. They must simply bring the infant to a safe haven location and make sure they locate a person to give the child. As long as the child shows no signs of intentional abuse, no name or other information is required.
Find the details of locations by using our Safehaven Finder.
Also, a parent may choose to have someone else bring in the infant. It can be a family member, a friend, a priest or minister, a social worker—practically any responsible adult.
The purpose of Safe Haven is to protect unwanted babies from being hurt or killed because they were abandoned.
Detectives are still investigating the circumstances, awaiting test results, and awaiting consultation with the Dallas County District Attorney’s office to determine what’s next for the teen mom.
