An Idaho teen is currently in custody after a deceased baby was discovered in a hospital drop-off box designed for the anonymous surrender of newborns.
Angel Newberry, an 18-year-old resident of Twin Falls, was apprehended over a month after medical personnel found the deceased baby girl wrapped in a blanket with her placenta still attached in the Safe Haven Baby Box at the Grove Creek Medical Center in Blackfoot, as announced by authorities on Friday.
“The Safe Haven Baby Box is intended to provide a safe and anonymous way for custodial parents to surrender a newborn under 30 days old without facing legal consequences, as long as the child is unharmed,” stated the Blackfoot Police Department in a social media update.
“Regrettably, the system of Idaho law does not protect the placement of a harmed or deceased infant.”
Upon receiving an alarm alert on October 13 indicating the presence of a baby in the box, hospital staff immediately responded and made the unsettling discovery that the newborn had been deceased long before being abandoned, according to Safe Haven Baby Boxes.
Idaho law strictly permits the surrender of an unharmed infant.
“Our hearts are broken,” expressed Safe Haven Baby Box founder Monica Kelsey last month.
“Let it be known: this is an unlawful and fatal abandonment.”
The accused teenager has been charged with failing to report a death to law enforcement officials and the coroner, according to the police statement.
Additional charges may follow as the inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the baby’s death progresses.
She is currently detained at Bingham County Jail.
