A Texas woman accused of throwing her newborn baby in a dumpster reportedly claimed she had no idea she was pregnant.
The New York Post reports Alyssa Hazel Baker, 28, was working at a Souper Salad in Texas when she went to the bathroom and delivered her baby on June 15.
“The baby just fell out,” Baker reportedly told officers.
Baker allegedly proceeded to leave her newborn baby in the toilet while she retrieved a trash bag, pulled the baby out of the toilet, and then put him inside the plastic bag, according to police. The woman then asked a fellow employee, Jordan Edwards, for scissors, which the coworker gave to Baker, police said.
After witnessing her going in and out of the bathroom several times only to emerge with a garbage bag and bloodied scissors, Edwards called first responders, believing that Baker had a miscarriage, according to the report.
According to the affidavit, responders asked Baker about having a miscarriage and leaving a baby in the dumpster, and she replied, “Yeah, I probably shouldn’t have done that.”
The baby, named Creighton, was found crying inside the dumpster, according to the report. Authorities estimate he had been inside the dumpster for about 47 minutes. Baby Creighton was then taken to a local hospital, where doctors listed him as being in good condition, the report states.
Even though Baker claimed she had no idea she was pregnant, a forensic analysis conducted on her phone found more than 50 searches about pregnancy, abortion, DNA testing, “natural” ways to end pregnancy, and miscarriages, according to authorities. Baker has been charged with attempted capital murder, and remains in custody as of this past Monday at Tarrant County Correction Center on $50,000 bail.
What Baker allegedly did to Creighton could have been prevented. All fifty states have laws to protect babies from abandonment and infanticide. These laws, called Safe Haven laws, allow mothers to leave their babies in a safe environment without questions or repercussions, as long as there are no signs of abuse.
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Unfortunately, many people are unaware of these laws, and more than a thousand babies have been abandoned illegally since 1999, according to the National Safe Haven Alliance. The alliance reports 3,525 newborn babies have been relinquished safely using Safe Havens as of February 2018.
Texas was the first state to pass a Safe Haven law. The law, also called a Baby Moses law, allows mothers to leave their babies, up to 60 days of age, with an employee on duty at any hospital, emergency services provider, or child welfare agency in Texas with no questions asked.
There have been 131 babies surrendered under Texas’ Baby Moses law since the state started tracking them in 2004, according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
If you or someone you know would like more information about relinquishing a newborn child, please call 1-877-796-HOPE or go to www.SafeHavenLaw.com.
