Alexandra Eckersley out on bail after allegedly leaving newborn in woods
MANCHESTER, N.H. - Alexandra Eckersley, who is facing felony charges for allegedly leaving her baby in the New Hampshire woods, has been released to a Brookline psychiatric hospital on personal recognizance.
Bail was originally set at $3,000, and Eckersley petitioned the court to be released on personal recognizance to a facility. Her mother provided transportation to the psychiatric hospital, where Eckersley has a bed.
Eckersley is facing a felony charge for leading police to her newborn son in the woods "nearly an hour" after first sending officers to a different area, police said. Officers responded to the West Side Arena in Manchester, New Hampshire at about 12:40 a.m. Monday after getting a report that a woman had given birth to a baby boy in the woods. It was 19 degrees at the time.
According to the police report, she told first responders she didn't know she was pregnant either, but friends said she knew and was four to five months along when this happened. Court documents note that Eckersley faced previous charges. In September 2021, she was charged by Concord, New Hampshire, Police for endangering the welfare of a child.
Alexandra Eckersley is the daughter of Red Sox legend Dennis Eckersley, who said he was "utterly devastated" his daughter gave birth in the woods and then abandoned the baby in medical distress. In a statement issued Thursday, the Eckersley family said they didn't even know their daughter Allie was pregnant and learned of the abandoned baby through news reports.
Eckersley will return to court in February.
