Baby Found Abandoned On Stairs At Closed Medical Building

(CBS) -- A baby girl was found abandoned early Tuesday at a closed medical building in the Ukrainian Village neighborhood on the Near West Side.

The infant girl was discovered by a hospital employee about 3 a.m. on the stairs outside of Nazareth Family Center in the 1100 block of North Oakley, police said.

She was wrapped in blankets with her umbilical cord still attached, Chicago Fire Department Cmdr. Walter Schroeder said.

Teresa Alvarez works as a housekeeper at Presence Saints Mary and Elizabeth Medical Center, which is next door to the family center. She heard by baby's cries when she was dropped off by her husband for work.

She discovered the infant under a jacket and called 911.

She and her husband brought the baby inside and kept the baby warm.

Alvarez says she feels a special connection to the baby and would like to adopt her if possible.

"If they don't find the mother or father I want the baby," he said.

The infant was initially treated at St. Mary's and then transferred to Lurie Children's Hospital.

It was not clear how long the baby had been outside

The mother and father have not been located.

Illinois does have a "safe haven" law that allows individuals to drop off babies with no questions asked at hospitals and police and fire stations.

But the law requires that the baby be given to a person.