Baby, born to girl of 12, turned in at Fresno fire station

Monday, Nov. 03, 2008

A nervous young aunt presented Capt. Gregg Skaggs of Fresno Fire Station No. 16 with an unexpected in-person call Monday morning: a newborn boy, umbilical cord intact, born to a 12-year-old mother only hours earlier.

The aunt, who was not identified, took advantage of California's Safe Haven Law, which establishes fire stations and hospital emergency rooms as places to leave newborns. She told firefighters the boy was born hours earlier to her 12-year-old sister.

The law says a person who has lawful custody of an infant can drop off the child without identifying themselves or fear of prosecution, and the aunt did so at Station 16 on Cornelia Avenue south of Ashlan Avenue before 8 a.m.

Fresno County Child Protective Services took custody of the child. By law, the mother has 14 days to reclaim her baby.

Skaggs said the infant boy was wearing a diaper and jumpsuit and was wrapped in a pink blanket.

His aunt, said to be in her 20s, was so nervous she perspired and could barely speak, but she wanted reassurance that the baby would be all right. "She knocked on the door and said she needed help," Skaggs said. "She said they couldn't care for this child, and wanted the baby to have a good life."

Skaggs said his immediate concern was checking the baby for hypothermia.

The firefighters examined him further, cut his umbilical cord, contacted Fresno police and, through them, Child Protective Services.

Firefighters said CPS would arrange a hospital check-up, Fire Department spokesman Ken Shockley said. Child Protective Services officials did not return phone calls seeking comment.

Other than the aunt saying the mother is 12, her age or identity have not been confirmed, Shockley said.

Jon Skiles, an assistant Fresno County district attorney, said the mother is a victim because 12-year-olds can't give consent to having sexual intercourse. Authorities apparently don't know the identity or age of the baby's father.

Under California's safe surrender law, a bracelet can be placed on the infant for identification purposes, with a matching bracelet given to the mother or guardian in case she wants to reclaim the baby. The Fire Department has no bracelet system in place to identify the mother, Shockley said.

"We want to keep it as anonymous as possible," Shockley said.

If the mother wants to reclaim the child, she can contact the fire station where the baby was left or contact CPS directly, he said.

Shockley said firefighters didn't ask the aunt about the mother's identity or where she lived.

Firefighters didn't want to press the aunt for details, he said, because "that would dissuade people from doing this, and children would be abandoned instead."

"Frankly, she didn't have to give us as much information as she did," Shockley said.

Since the law's 2001 inception, 251 newborns have been safely surrendered in California through June 30. In the same period, 149 infants have been found alive following their illegal abandonment.

The law was intended to prevent babies being abandoned in trash bins or fields.

Police spokesman Jeff Cardinale said the Fresno Police Department will not get involved in Monday's case unless something suspicious comes to the department's attention. Because the law allows for anonymity and no consequences, "we don't know how far we can delve into it," Cardinale said.

Firefighters recalled only one other case in the city where a newborn was dropped at one of their stations -- about three years ago at Station 15 on Clovis Avenue south of Kings Canyon Road.

On Monday, the Fire Department found a blue beanie to put on the seemingly content and sleeping infant.

Skaggs said that after determining the newborn was OK, he handed the baby to another firefighter who is childless.

"What am I supposed to do?" he asked.

He quickly settled himself and joined the others in caring for the baby until he was turned over to CPS.