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Mother identified after Indiana girl finds abandoned baby in backyard

LOWELL, Ind. (AP) – A northwestern Indiana sheriff says investigators in his department have identified the mother of a newborn infant found abandoned in a family’s backyard last week.

Lake County Sheriff John Buncich said in a news release Monday the mother is a teenage juvenile from Lowell, the same town where the baby was found July 11. Buncich says no further information about the mother is being released because of her age.

The case has been turned over to the Indiana Department of Child Services for investigation. DCS spokesman James Wide said he could not talk about a specific case, but said when a child is abandoned, the agency can ask the county prosecutor to file charges. He said it is up to the prosecutor to decide whether to file a charge.