Abandoned baby boy found inside chest of drawers in alleyway- 'Could’ve ended differently'
AN ABANDONED baby has been found alive after being discovered in a discarded chest of drawers.
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On Tuesday, the week-old child was discovered by a woman, who has chosen to remain anonymous. The woman uncovered the child hidden within furniture which was located in an alleyway. The rescuer originally approached the abandoned chest of drawers with the intention of removing the handles to reuse them.
Unknowingly, she became a hero as she discovered that there was a child hidden in the drawers in a Chicago neighbourhood.
Speaking from the area of Montclare, the woman said that the child was wrapped in rosary beads and had a mouth full of vomit.
In an interview with NBC Chicago, she said: “I put my finger on the little foot, just to see he was moving”.
The rescuer originally approached the abandoned chest of drawers with the intention of removing the handles to reuse them.
Unknowingly, she became a hero as she discovered that there was a child hidden in the drawers.
Speaking from the area of Montclare in Chicago, the woman said that the child was wrapped in rosary beads and had a mouth full of vomit.
In an interview with NBC Chicago, she said: “I put my finger on the little foot, just to see he was moving”.
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The baby boy was found just before 8.15am within the furniture unit which had been discarded, and the rescuer aided the child until the emergency services arrived to take over.
Larry Langford, a spokesman for the Chicago Fire Department confirmed the baby was in a good condition, with no visible injuries.
Temperatures in Chicago have been exceeding 30C and the outcome may have been quite different had the woman not stumbled upon the child.
The woman who found the baby has reflected on her good fortune of locating the child, saying: “Every time I think about the little details, it just makes me mad.
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"I'm just going to focus on the miracle that I was there, and that everybody showed up on time because I was shaking. I was shaking so bad.”
If the baby hadn’t been found, the item of furniture could have been picked up by refuse collectors who operate on Tuesdays in the area.
The rescuer remained on the scene until emergency services arrived and took the baby to Lurie Children's Hospital.
Mr Langford told the Chicago Tribune: “It’s a good thing somebody came by. It’s hot out there, it could’ve ended differently, but it’s all seemingly worked out”.
Candy Pittner, a resident from the area where the baby was located, told Chicago-based TV station WLS-TV that she was outraged by the situation.
She said: “You could have even rang my doorbell, I would have taken the baby and left. Anything but leaving it in that drawer”.
According to local “Safe Haven” law, enacted in 2001 in Illinois, a parent can safely and anonymously relinquish a newborn aged 30 days old or younger to a hospital, police station, fire station, or emergency medical facility.
The situation is being further investigated by the Chicago Police Department, who are seeking information from anyone who may know the baby boy’s origin or for information about his family.