Judge Declares Infant Found In Pompano Beach Bushes "Abandoned"
POMPANO BEACH (CBS4) - The search continues for the mother of a newborn who left the baby beneath some bushes off NE 2nd Street in Pompano Beach on Thursday afternoon.
The baby was found by a woman who was on her way to pick up a child at the Queens Little Angels Child Care Center.
She flagged down a center bus driver who called 9-1-1.
On Friday, Broward Circuit Court Judge Elizabeth Scherer held a shelter hearing for the newborn who remains at Holy Cross Hospital.
The judge said there was probable cause of abandonment.
The Department of Children and Families was granted permission to request the medical records of the baby.
According to DCF spokesperson Paige Patterson-Hughes, once the baby is released from the hospital, he will remain under DCF's care and custody and be placed in foster care.
After a diligent search which could take up to two months, the process of adoption could start, if no relatives are found.
Along with BSO investigators, CHILDNET is also doing a search for relatives.
CHILDNET is the lead community based care agency contracted by DCF.
Nicole Carter who runs Queens Little Angels Child Care and saw the baby shortly after he was discovered said she hopes the mom is identified.
"Pompano is one of those towns if someone knows something they will come forward," she says.
"I hope they find the mom. Its better he knows who his parents are," she says.
CBS 4 has learned that BSO investigators are reviewing surveillance obtained from the First Baptist Church on Atlantic Boulevard.
Just after 4 pm one of their cameras captures a dark colored sedan pulling up and parking in the lot that was adjacent to the bushes where the baby was left. The car is parked for five minutes, backed into the space. Afterwards the driver heads south toward Atlantic Boulevard.
According to BSO they are receiving leads on the baby and following up on information.
A spokesman won't confirm any locations investigators have been to trying to find the mother of the abandoned baby.
BSO reiterated the effectiveness of Florida's Safe Haven laws, which allows parents to drop off their infants, up to a week old, in a safe place like a hospital or fire station without fear of prosecution.
Click here for more information or call 1-877-767-BABY (2229) for a toll-free, multilingual help line. It's staffed 24 hours a day and all calls are confidential.
