Imagine you're on the beach and you hear a lot of screaming, all of the sudden it stops, and then you hear a baby crying. And the baby keeps crying, and no one seems to be calming them down.
That was exactly what happened to a 21 year old woman in Sandy Beach, Honolulu, Hawaii, who, after a few minutes, went to see what was going on, and to her surprise, she found an abandoned newborn girl. She took the child to the Queen's Medical Center where she (the baby) is being kept under observation.
Patricia McManaman, director of the Department of Human Services reported that the female infant is doing fine and drinking formula. She weighs approximately 8 pounds and is believed that she was born a week or two early.
A hearing will be held where the Department of Human Services is expected to file for custody of the child in family court. If no one comes forward to claim the newborn, DHS will likely be granted custody. McManaman added that the state will also ask the court for permission to release a photo of the infant, if no family is identified.
In 2007, Hawaii became the 48th state with a baby safe haven law that provides immunity from prosecution for leaving an unharmed newborn within 72 hours of birth at a fire department, police station or hospital or with emergency services, but not at the beach.
Police are treating this specific case as endangering the welfare of a minor, as well as child abandonment. If the mother is identified, she might be facing up to a year in prison.
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