An 18-year-old Idaho woman has been arrested for allegedly dropping a dead baby in a Safe Haven Baby Box at a hospital, as reported by Blackfoot Police. The woman, identified as Angel N. Newberry, was taken into custody for failing to report the death to law enforcement officials and the coroner. She has been booked into the Bingham County Jail.
The Safe Haven Baby Box is designed to allow parents to safely and anonymously surrender a newborn under 30 days old without facing legal repercussions, provided the child is unharmed. However, leaving a harmed or deceased infant is not protected under the law.
The arrest of Newberry follows an investigation initiated after police responded to a report on October 13 regarding a dead baby found in a baby box at Grove Creek Medical Center.
According to Safe Haven Baby Boxes, the hospital staff promptly responded to an alarm indicating the presence of a baby in the box. It was determined that the infant had already passed away before being placed inside the box.
Monica Kelsey, the founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, expressed deep sorrow over the incident, emphasizing that the act was an illegal and deadly abandonment. Anonymity is only permitted when an infant is surrendered completely unharmed.
When the deceased baby was discovered in the box, she was wrapped in a blanket with the placenta still attached, Kelsey revealed.
Due to the ongoing investigation and the possibility of additional criminal charges, authorities have limited the information they can disclose. Blackfoot Police worked in conjunction with Twin Falls Police during the investigation.
The baby box at Grove Creek Medical Center was installed in July, marking it as the first in the state to offer a safe and anonymous option for parents to surrender newborns.
