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Hours-old baby given to stranger at gas station
Little boy is in good shape at hospital in Lodi; woman who handed child over still unidentified.
By Chelsea Phua -
cphua@sacbee.com
Last Updated 12:41 am PST Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Story appeared in METRO section, Page B
Amelia Sekhon, a 23-year-old student at California State University, Chico, was pumping gas near Highway 99 about noon Monday when a woman in her 20s approached Sekhon and asked for help.
Sekhon thought the stranger was begging for money and said she couldn't help her, according to Lodi police Officer Hettie Schaeffer.
Instead, the woman handed Sekhon a bundle wrapped in a green towel. "I can't handle this," the woman said, and then walked away.
When Sekhon unfolded the towel, she found a newborn baby boy.
By the time Sekhon looked up, the woman had disappeared from the gas station at the corner of Cherokee and Kettleman lanes. Authorities said she was last seen walking toward a gold compact vehicle, but it was unclear if she left on foot or drove away.
The 6-pound, 12-ounce baby, who was only six to seven hours old, was taken to Lodi Memorial Hospital, where he appears to be in good health, Schaeffer said.
Hospital staff have affectionately nicknamed the newborn "Baby Mercury."
Police are describing the woman who abandoned the baby as Latina, 23 to 28 years old, 5-foot-6 to 5-foot-8, weighing 130 to 140 pounds. She had brown hair and a pierced lower lip and was wearing a black sweat shirt and pants.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to call the Lodi Police Department at (209) 333-6727.
Schaeffer said that under California's Safely Surrendered Baby law, the woman had the option of leaving her baby at any hospital or designated safe-haven site.
The law states that the parent can safely surrender a baby within three days of the infant's birth without fear of prosecution.
Under the law, the parent has 14 days to reclaim the child.
Sacramento County was one of the first in the state to designate fire stations as safe-haven sites.
Illegally abandoning a baby is a felony offense.
"People don't know that there is an alternative to just abandoning their baby," said Sue Bonk, director of the Sacramento Crisis Nurseries, which runs a toll-free 24-hour hotline – (866) 856-2229 – that provides information about the law.
"Sometimes young women just do that because they don't know what to do," Bonk said. "They are in a panic. They feel like they are at wits' ends. They can't handle the situation any longer, so they just abandon the baby."
About the writer:
- Call The Bee's Chelsea Phua, (916) 321-1132.
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