A newborn baby was surrendered to a Safe Haven Baby Box at a fire station in Mehlville, Missouri, Fox2Now reported.
The infant was safely surrendered to the box at Mehlville Fire House 2 around 2:30 p.m. last Sunday, according to the Mehlville Fire Protection District. The box is located at 5434 Telegraph Road.
“Upon discovery, fire crews immediately took custody of the newborn girl, who was transported to a hospital for evaluation and care. She is now in the custody of the Missouri Department of Social Services,” according to the report.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes were created to deter parents from abandoning their newborns, potentially leaving them to die. Baby boxes are temperature-controlled incubators often built into exterior walls of fire stations, police stations, and hospitals that can be accessed from inside. At-risk mothers can safely and legally place their newborns inside. Once the baby is inside the baby box the outside door locks and the mother has time to leave before an alarm goes off alerting first responders or hospital staff to the child’s presence.
The baby is then quickly removed and sent to a hospital for a wellness check. From there, the infant is usually placed into state custody and is often adopted quickly.
“This event reinforces the importance of having resources like the Safe Haven Baby Box in our community,” said Brian Hendricks, Fire Chief of the Mehlville Fire Protection District. “It’s about protecting our most vulnerable residents and giving them the best chance for a healthy future.”
Officials said the surrender was the second at this baby box location since it was installed in August 2023. The first surrender occurred in February 2024.
In Missouri, infants can be legally surrendered up to 45 days old to hospitals, fire stations, police stations, EMS providers, and baby boxes, according to the organization.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes also has a confidential National Safe Haven Hotline, 1-866-99BABY1, that provides free counseling and information about safe surrenders, including face-to-face surrenders.
Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.
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