The body of a newborn baby girl was found in a safe haven drop-off box at a hospital in Idaho.
On Monday, Oct. 28, Grove Creek Medical Center — a labor and delivery hospital located in Blackfoot — announced in a statement posted on Facebook that a deceased baby was left in its Safe Haven Baby Box on Oct. 13. The nearby Twin Falls Police Department confirmed the news in a press release.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes — which are often placed in fire departments and hospitals in states with safe haven laws that allow parents to anonymously leave unharmed newborns — set off alarms when babies are placed inside.
Nonprofit Safe Haven Baby Boxes wrote in a statement: “Grove Creek Medical Center staff responded immediately to the alarm, indicating a baby was in the box. The medical team removed the infant from the bassinet within a minute. Upon removal, they quickly realized that the infant had passed away long before being placed in the baby box.”
Idaho’s Safe Haven Law only allows for infants who are unharmed and healthy to be surrendered, making this incident a crime, Safe Haven Baby Boxes’ statement said.
“We are heartbroken,” Safe Haven Baby Boxes founder Monica Kelsey said in the statement. “Let this be clear: this is an illegal, deadly abandonment. Anonymity is only allowed when an infant is safely surrendered completely unharmed.”
According to Kelsey, when the baby girl was placed in the box, she was wrapped in a blanket and the placenta was still attached.
“We are fully cooperating with the investigation and providing all information we possess to local authorities,” she added.
The medical center thanked its staff for their quick action when the baby box alarm went off.
“We’re incredibly grateful for our dedicated team, who responded within moments to the Safe Haven Baby Box alarm and gave their all in a heartbreaking situation,” Grove Creek said in its post. “Though this infant was already deceased when abandoned, our staff showed deep compassion and commitment to care. Their actions mean everything to us, and we’re so proud of the way they honor every life they touch.”
The center added that it would not comment further on the case while law enforcement investigations were still ongoing.
In a separate social media video shared on Thursday, Oct. 31, Kelsey noted that the female parent’s identity is now known to police.
According to Safe Haven Baby Boxes, the organization is the only one in the U.S. that provides an anonymous surrender option to parents of newborns. In its statement, the organization wrote that 52 infants have been surrendered at its baby box locations since 2017. Locations of each of its boxes are listed on the Safe Haven Baby Boxes website.
“We will continue to educate citizens on the stark differences between illegal abandonment and legal, safe surrender of an unharmed newborn,” Kelsey added.
Police in both Blackfoot and Twin Falls are investigating, the Twin Falls Police Department said in its press release.
“We extend our heartfelt condolences to the family and community affected by this loss. The health and safety of our community’s children remain our top priority,” the police department wrote.
