Indiana 9-year-old finds abandoned newborn baby in backyard

LOWELL, Ind. (WISH) — An abandoned newborn baby is expected to fully recover after she was found in a northwest Indiana backyard.

Lake County Sheriff John Buncich said a 9-year-old girl made the discovery in her backyard on White Oak Avenue in Lowell, the Chicago Tribune reports.

The newborn, who Buncich called “Miracle Baby Jane Doe,” was wrapped in a black towel and lying in the sun about 100 yards from the road, according to the newspaper. Her placenta and umbilical cord were reportedly still attached, and she was believed to be only hours old.

“The baby was found in a very rural area, and to think if the 9-year-old wouldn’t have gone outside, this could’ve had a very different outcome,” the Tribune reports Buncich said at a press conference Monday afternoon. “The department has taken a really personal approach to this case.”

Officers, K-9 units and a helicopter searched the area to find the newborn’s mother, but authorities were unable to locate her.

“I’d like to remind people that there are laws that allow people to leave a baby with no questions asked,” Buncich added.

The umbilical cord and placenta will be analysed to determine the baby’s exact age. She was taken to Franciscan St. Anthony Health in Crown Point for observation and will soon be released into the care of a foster home.