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Newborn found in store garbage can

Depending on the investigation's findings, the baby girl's mother could be arrested on a misdemeanor charge of unlawful disposal of a human body.

By CAMILLE C. SPENCER
Published September 12, 2006

PORT RICHEY - The body of an unclothed baby girl, just a few hours old, was found in a garbage can Monday in the women's employee bathroom at Target, according to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office.

An employee at the store, 6411 Tacoma Drive, found the baby and an umbilical cord at about 11:17 a.m., said sheriff's office spokesman Doug Tobin.

It is unknown how the baby died, but preliminary autopsy results should be available by Wednesday, Tobin said.

The baby's mother, who was receiving medical care on Monday, is not being identified because the incident is an "active criminal investigation," Tobin said.

He said the mother is in her mid 20s to mid 30s, and had been at the store on Monday. Tobin said the woman left the store by the time the baby was found in the employee bathroom in the back of the store.

"It was an employee bathroom, but we aren't releasing at this point if she is an employee or customer," Tobin said.

Depending on the investigation's outcome, the mother could be charged with unlawful disposal of a human body, a misdemeanor.

"It charges can go up from there, depending on what we find," Tobin said.

A state law passed in 2000 allows babies fewer than three days old to be left anonymously at a firehouse or emergency room, said Nick Silverio, founder of Safe Haven for Newborns, a Miami organization.

Silverio said 48 babies have been left with authorities since 2000.

"Women that do this aren't connected to reality," Silverio said. "They don't believe there's any hope or option. They often hide their pregnancy. They don't tell anybody. They wear baggy clothes. They're in denial that they're pregnant. They don't see doctors. They want to have it over with."

Silverio said while preventing the abandonment of newborns is key, the bottom line is clear.

"The message is, there's help. You don't have to do that."

Camille C. Spencer can be reached at (727) 869-6229 or cspencer@sptimes.com.

Safe haven

Silverio offered these tips for pregnant women in distress who are considering abandoning a baby:

* Talk to a trusted friend.

* Call the 24-hour Safe Haven phone number to get information on medical care or transportation to a fire station or emergency room, at 1-877-767-2229. Or, learn more on the Web at www.asafehavenfornewborns.com.

[Last modified September 11, 2006, 22:44:20]