Arlington Police Hope Images Of Suitcase, Scarf Will Help Identify Newborn Found In Dumpster
ARLINGTON, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) — Police are still searching for the parents of a newborn baby boy found inside a suitcase left inside a dumpster in Arlington Saturday morning.
On Tuesday, they released images of the suitcase in hopes someone will recognize it.
A woman taking out her trash heard the baby crying at an apartment complex in the 2100 block of Tan Oak Lane.
The newborn was wrapped in a magenta scarf and piece of leopard print material.
These photos (above and below) represent the exact suitcase, blanket and scarf.
First responders had to initially perform CPR on the baby — who was believed to only be a few hours old at the time — before transferring him to a local hospital. He is expected to recover.
According to Texas Safe Haven laws, a parent can leave their baby, up to 60 days old, with an employee on duty at any hospital, emergency medical services provider or child welfare agency in Texas.
A distressed parent who is unable or unwilling to care for their infant can give up custody of their baby, no questions asked. They must simply bring the infant to a safe haven location and make sure they locate a person to give the child. As long as the child shows no signs of intentional abuse, no name or other information is required.
Find the details of locations by using our Safehaven Finder.
Also, a parent may choose to have someone else bring in the infant. It can be a family member, a friend, a priest or minister, a social worker—practically any responsible adult.
The purpose of Safe Haven is to protect unwanted babies from being hurt or killed because they were abandoned.
Anyone with information on this incident is asked to contact the Arlington Police Department. Tipsters can also remain anonymous by contacting Tarrant County Crime Stoppers at 817-469-TIPS.
