\’She was fighting\’: Baby found in dirt, covered in surviving structures
A newborn baby is lucky to be alive after a neighbor found her dumped on a bed in an apartment garden, covered in blood and crawling with ants.
The newborn’s umbilical cord was reportedly still attached when Albert Peterson heard her cries and made the heartbreaking discovery on his way to work, in Houston, Texas, at about 5 a.m. Thursday morning.
The baby is believed to have been left alone in the dirt for six hours before being found.
“Tôi nghe thấy thứ gì đó giống như một con mèo”, ông Peterson nói với Channel 2 News.
“Cô ấy ở đó trên mặt đất trên bồn hoa với kiến. Cô ấy được che từ đầu đến chân và tất cả trong tai.
“Cô ấy cũng có rất nhiều sức mạnh. Cô ấy đang chiến đấu… Tôi bị sốc”.
“Cô ấy có chất nhầy, máu và dây rốn và mọi thứ.
“Thật đáng buồn, khi một con người làm một con người khác như vậy”, ông Peterson nói.
Shocked passer-by John Baldwin got out his mobile phone to record the baby.
“I was like, ‘Hey, there’s a baby outside on the sidewalk… Call 911!’” he said.
Mr Peterson took the baby to his apartment, where his wife raised the alarm.
The baby’s discovery in time was hailed “a miracle,” Harris County sheriff’s Deputy Thomas Gilliland told Dallas News.
“Had this neighbour not been here, we’d be looking at a homicide.”
Investigators followed a blood trail to a nearby apartment, where Sidney Woytasczyk and Deandre Skillern were arrested, identified by ABC13 as the baby’s parents.
The couple initially denied knowing anything about the baby, however the 21-year-old woman later admitted to being the mother, Dallas News reported. Mr Skillern maintained he did not know his partner was pregnant.
Investigators believe she delivered the baby inside the apartment then dumped the baby outside.
The baby is recovering in pre-natal ICU. Her mother faces charges for abandoning a child.
The woman’s partner, who is not expected to be charged, has taken a DNA test, with results pending.
He and the baby’s maternal grandmother are fighting for custody of the child.
A hearing was held on Friday to determine who would get custody of the infant. The next appearance is scheduled for August 24.