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Abandoned Baby’s Mother Comes Forward

MOOSIC — Days after a newborn was found abandoned in a church, the mother has come forward. Police say the woman thought it was the right thing to do. Pol...
baby abandoned MON

MOOSIC -- Days after a newborn was found abandoned in a church, the mother has come forward. Police say the woman thought it was the right thing to do.

Police in Lackawanna County say the mother had good intentions when she left the baby girl in a church bathroom days after giving birth.

After the baby's story spread this week, police say Wednesday evening the little girl's mother told family members that she wanted to talk to officers at the Moosic Police Department.

Officers have identified her as the mom, but the investigation is at a standstill while the woman is receiving her own medical treatment.

Officer John Chilleri of Moosic police says he never completely lost hope that he would find the mother of the newborn girl discovered Tuesday in a bathroom of a church just down the street from the police station.

"The last several days have been very interesting, obviously. The immediate concern was the child's well-being and those needs were met. And then our next concern was identifying the mother and ensuring that she was OK," said Officer Chilleri.

The mother came to them after telling her family that she wanted to talk to police. Her baby's face had since spread all over social media, and so did speculation about why the baby girl was left inside Moosic Presbyterian Church.

"It's an open investigation, but one thing is that she thought she was doing the right thing taking it to a place that there would be somebody to provide better care for her," Chilleri said.

All police will say about the mother is that she is an adult and a resident of Lackawanna County. She told police the baby was delivered at home last week. Instead of questioning her, officers sent the woman to the hospital for treatment.

"I just hope that the baby's OK and that she actually came forward and they didn't have to search too much for her," said Moosic resident Jennifer Hewitt.

Since the baby was found earlier this week, her story has captivated people in Moosic, particularly mothers who say there are so many scenarios that could have led the mother to Moosic Presbyterian Church. Also, so many ways that this story could have had a tragic end.

"It's good that she was identified, but there are other ways around leaving a baby in a church. I wouldn't do it personally. There's other ways besides leaving them, even at a safe haven, like adoption," said Amber Scarnato.

Police say this case highlights a general misunderstanding of the state's Safe Haven law which says babies can be left, no questions asked, at either a police station or a hospital.

Officers say the mother in this case is still in the hospital. She has not been questioned, and they have not even begun to think about filing criminal charges in this case.

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