Newborn abandoned at church

Police are seeking information about a newborn who was abandoned Saturday at an LDS Church in West Valley City with a note requesting that someone care for the baby boy.

Residents attending a church function at 3150 W. Whitehall Drive called police about 4:30 p.m. after finding the 4- to 5-day-old baby wrapped in a blanket in a hallway, said West Valley Police Lt. Matt Elson.

Nobody saw who left the newborn there, Elson said, though the baby was likely only abandoned for a few minutes before being found.

"People had been in that area of the church just minutes earlier, and there was no baby," he said. "All of a sudden, there's a baby in the church with a note."

The note left with the baby only requested that someone take care of him, Elson said.

Utah Department of Human Services spokeswoman Carol Sisco said the baby was in fairly good health when he was taken into custody by the Division of Child and Family Services and evaluated at the hospital.

"He had a very low temperature, so they were getting him warmed up," Sisco said.

Police are trying to find out who abandoned the baby and the circumstances that led to that action.

Utah's Safe Relinquishment of Infants law, which went into effect in May 2001, allows a birth parent to give up custody of a newborn child without facing any legal consequences.

Under the law, a newborn can be turned over to hospital staff with no questions asked. Hospitals then take care of any medical attention the baby requires before handing him or her over to DCFS for adoption.

Elson said police want to know why the person who abandoned the baby chose to do so at a church.

"We're glad the baby was left where somebody could find him rather than abandoning him in a Dumpster or shed," he said. "But we'd like to find out exactly why the baby was abandoned."

DCFS will begin the adoption process for the baby, Sisco said, but case workers also would like to help his mother.

"We hope she's OK," she said. "She's probably a young girl who's terrified and doesn't know what to do."

Sisco said the mother or others in that situation can call DCFS 24 hours a day at 281-5151.

Police are asking that anyone with information about the baby or his family call 840-4000.

Information about Utah's safe-haven law is available at www.utahsafehaven

.org. Another resource is the National Newborn Lifeline Network, 866-694-2229. The 24-hour-a-day, toll-free hotline assists mothers with adoption, locations of shelters, pregnancy resources and hospitals.

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E-mail: jpage@desnews.com