NC - Military police seek mother of abandoned baby

NC military police seek mother of abandoned baby
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

http://www2.journalnow.com/content/2009/jul/10/nc-military-police-seek-mother-abandoned-baby/news/


Published: July 10, 2009

FORT BRAGG
Military police at a North Carolina Army post are asking for the public's help in finding the mother of a newborn baby boy who was abandoned on a doorstep in a housing area.

Fort Bragg officials said the baby was discovered about 4 p.m. Thursday in the St. Mere Eglise neighborhood. The baby's umbilical cord still was attached.

The baby was taken to Womack Army Medical Center.

Officials say the baby last was seen with a young woman who had dirty blonde hair and was believed to be in her early 20s.

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Poor little guy. I'm glad his mother left him somewhere he would soon be found, and that she didn't harm him.

i will at least give the mother credit that she left the baby in an area he would be found. it would have been better if she left him at a hospital, LE or fire dept. but this is way better than killing the child or hiding him.

Okay, this is something I don't understand. We all want parents who don't want their children to abandon them somewhere safe. Like a police station, firehouse, church, etc. However, if they do it somewhere else, like an someone's doorstep for instance, why do the authorities still pursue these people? What I'm getting at is do we make it harder for moms/dads to feel okay about giving up their kids if the cops are going to go after them? Why not just take the baby and find a loving home? And that's that. Make people feel it is the right thing to leave the baby somewhere safe. WHEREVER that may be.

There has been too many cases of children left on doorsteps that had died from cold or heat before they are found. If they drop them at a hospital, church etc they are just handing them over to someone.

Seifsister, I do see your point. Thanks.

This is a very strange story.

I found another link:

http://news.mync.com/site/news/story/38094/police-seek-information-after-baby-left-on-doorstep

The only additional information that I see is that the baby boy was three to six days old. So by them saying the umbilical cord was still attached are they talking about the cord itself indicating a home delivery or are they talking about what we see on children that are delivered in a hospital setting? (a stump of the cord that falls off).

Also this baby was discovered in a military housing neighborhood. I'm not familiar with FT Bragg, we have never been stationed there but here you can't access the housing areas unless you are active duty, a sponsered dependent with an ID card, or a guest of one of the former.

I'd like to know if the housing areas there are like the ones here or are they seperate from the cantonment of Fort Bragg and can be accessed without security measures?

About the safe haven law. Is that a federal law also? Or is it state law? If it is state law does it apply to federal instillations? All military posts are federal instillations, federal law applies on them not neccessarily state laws. I have lived in many places where state law differed from federal law and we abided by federal law on the post. What does that mean...it means if you get pulled over for a DUI on a military post you face a felony charge. If you chose to shoplift at one of the stores located on a post, you face a felony charge...etc.

So was this young woman a dependent of a soldier? Was she a soldier herself? Was she a guest of a family or soldier there at Fort Bragg? What was she doing in the housing area...is a major question.

There is absolutely no reason for her to abandon a baby short of mental distress/illness if she is associated with the military there. There are numerous support networks for her to access financially and emotionally at that post.

I will try to follow this one, and see if the woman who abandoned the baby is found, if indeed she is the Mother.

its possible that the husband is deployed and maybe this wasnt his baby and the mother had to get rid of it before he gets back? or he is deployed and he knew she was pregnant but maybe she really didnt want a baby so she abandoned it and tells hubby it died?

I wouldn't think the mother would be in the military herself. It would be obvious (or in most cases it is) if she were pregnant to her superiors. I think the chances are greater that she's a dependent. Either a child or wife of one serving.

wildTrose said:

its possible that the husband is deployed and maybe this wasnt his baby and the mother had to get rid of it before he gets back? or he is deployed and he knew she was pregnant but maybe she really didnt want a baby so she abandoned it and tells hubby it died?

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You know the scenario that she became pregnant and the child wasn't her Husband's isn't that far out of line. Deployments now are back to 12 months. Plenty of time to concieve and give birth to a child that wasn't her Husbands child. Also, some of the troops returning at this particular moment have been deployed 15 months. So either way, it's a possible scenario.

lizzybeth said:

I wouldn't think the mother would be in the military herself. It would be obvious (or in most cases it is) if she were pregnant to her superiors. I think the chances are greater that she's a dependent. Either a child or wife of one serving.

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Yes I agree. Unless she is on maternity leave, had a break with reality and dropped the child off on the doorstep. If that's the case, the Mother will be located very quickly, her superiors (probably all superiors on post) would have contacted their recently delivered soldiers or heavily pregnant soldiers and verified their status. I don't think that's what happened though. JMHO

I think a military wife makes the most sense. Became preggars while hubby was deployed and hid the pregancy. Also, I guess this female had not received pre-natal care or questions would be asked?
When son was deployed several of his fellow soldiers dealt with spousal issues which I found shocking and at a time when their minds needed to be 100% on their missions. Keep us updated on this one, curious to find out who Mom is.

St. Mere Eglise housing area is on Ft. Bragg, so someone had to have an I.D. or pass to bring this baby in. Ft. Bragg housing has been privatized (sold to a private company), which often means non-military personnel will be allowed to move in (civilian workers, etc.) At Great Lakes, NEX (Navy Exchange) employees were allowed to live in housing.

Saw on a topix-like board that St. Mere Eglise is considered one of the nicer areas with newer houses.

Strangely, I can't find a centralized housing web site for Ft. Bragg -- another common occurance since privatization. (Can you tell I'm not a fan of privatization?)

Ft. Bragg tour (text) http://www.visitfayettevillenc.com/images/military/sites/19FYV_Historical_Tour.pdf

Abandoned baby reported in good health
The Associated Press
Posted: Friday, Jul. 10, 2009
FORT BRAGG, N.C. A newborn baby boy found abandoned Thursday on a Fort Bragg doorstep is in good condition and likely was delivered without medical help, authorities said.

Tom McCollum, a spokesman for Fort Bragg, said the baby was found about 4 p.m. Thursday in the St. Mere Eglise (Saint Mare Eg-Leez) neighborhood.

Investigators said the umbilical cord still was attached, pointing to a non-medical delivery. A resident of the house and a neighbor heard a baby crying, McCollum said. The residents of the house are soldiers at Fort Bragg and asked not to be identified by base officials. It is unclear how long the baby was on the doorstep.

The baby was taken to Womack Army Medical Center and reported in good condition. Doctors believe he is between three and six days old. Once doctors determine the baby is stable and healthy, he will be turned over to Cumberland County Child Protective Services, authorities said. The agency will find the baby foster care.

McCollum asked for the public's help in finding the mother of the newborn baby. She was described as a young woman who had dirty blonde hair and was believed to be in her early 20s. Police said the woman was seen carrying a bundle.

The mother would have been protected under the state safe haven law had she left the baby at a fire station a short distance away.

North Carolina passed a law in 2001 that allows parents to surrender a newborn to a "responsible adult" like a firefighter or social worker without fear of criminal prosecution. The law was designed to keep postpartum woman from hurting the baby. Sherry Bradsher, director of the North Carolina Division of Social Services said the person-to-person contact is the key.

"Every year situations arise where babies are placed at risk because a frightened and overwhelmed parent, usually a young woman, tries to hide her newborn baby," Bradsher said. "Doorsteps are never a good option because assuming that someone is present may not be the case. There is no guarantee how long this helpless newborn might stay there before someone finds them."

McCollum said the mother could face charges of child abuse or abandonment.



http://www.charlotteobserver.com/breaking/story/826415.html

STEADFAST said:

St. Mere Eglise housing area is on Ft. Bragg, so someone had to have an I.D. or pass to bring this baby in. Ft. Bragg housing has been privatized (sold to a private company), which often means non-military personnel will be allowed to move in (civilian workers, etc.) At Great Lakes, NEX (Navy Exchange) employees were allowed to live in housing.

Saw on a topix-like board that St. Mere Eglise is considered one of the nicer areas with newer houses.

Strangely, I can't find a centralized housing web site for Ft. Bragg -- another common occurance since privatization. (Can you tell I'm not a fan of privatization?)

Ft. Bragg tour (text) http://www.visitfayettevillenc.com/images/military/sites/19FYV_Historical_Tour.pdf

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I'm not a fan of privatization either Steadfast. Hate is a mild word for how I feel to be honest.

Thank you for the PDF~ OT I will be at FT Bragg in Jan 2010 for my oldest son's graduation from Basic. I'll take the tour :wink:

Another possibility, the young woman seen was either 1. Not as old as others thought she was and may have been a teen and the child of a soldier 2. May have been in the beginning of her 20's and still resided on post as a dependent of a soldier as a college student living at home. 3. May not have been connected to the child.

Maybe the father is someone who lives at the home where the baby was left. I don't know about the housing there, but when I would go on base at Mayport (Jacksonville area) they actually had little houses, or maybe duplexes, that belonged to a separate family.

I agree with the others that said it would have to be a spouse, someone on active duty, or a contractor (like someone who worked at a McDonalds or other non-government establishment on base). The bases that I've been to check IDs pretty thoroughly.

kittenish said:

Maybe the father is someone who lives at the home where the baby was left. I don't know about the housing there, but when I would go on base at Mayport (Jacksonville area) they actually had little houses, or maybe duplexes, that belonged to a separate family.

I agree with the others that said it would have to be a spouse, someone on active duty, or a contractor (like someone who worked at a McDonalds or other non-government establishment on base). The bases that I've been to check IDs pretty thoroughly.

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Good point Kittenish. AAFES does employ civilians. Burger King has a contract with the Army so you will usually find a BK on army posts. There are other contractors but IIRC human resources at AAFES handles all of the hiring at the individual contractors. (food and shop contractors) and AAFES usually doesn't place civilians with no association (current or prior) in a job with one of the contractors.

I like that idea though. We can add that to our list of possibilities.

As for the Male that lives at that set of quarters, I would be willing to bet he was grilled by the MPs, his chain of command, and his wife


ETA:I"m not including the civilian contractors that work directly for the Government in GS jobs and skilled labor.

Kat said:

Good point Kittenish. AAFES does employ civilians. Burger King has a contract with the Army so you will usually find a BK on army posts. There are other contractors but IIRC human resources at AAFES handles all of the hiring at the individual contractors. (food and shop contractors) and AAFES usually doesn't place civilians with no association (current or prior) in a job with one of the contractors.

I like that idea though. We can add that to our list of possibilities.

As for the Male that lives at that set of quarters, I would be willing to bet he was grilled by the MPs, his chain of command, and his wife


ETA:I"m not including the civilian contractors that work directly for the Government in GS jobs and skilled labor.

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Yes, that's what I meant by contractors, like Burger King and McDonald's employees. I'm sure they're vetted pretty well, having such access to military bases, but they're not watched like those in the military, who have access to classified, important information.

I don't really know all the ins/outs of how they're hired, but I think they're more likely to be looked over at first than the spouses or other servicewomen.

kittenish said:

Yes, that's what I meant by contractors, like Burger King and McDonald's employees. I'm sure they're vetted pretty well, having such access to military bases, but they're not watched like those in the military, who have access to classified, important information.

I don't really know all the ins/outs of how they're hired, but I think they're more likely to be looked over at first than the spouses or other servicewomen.

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You know, I really think if this young woman worked at the PX or one of the shops at the AAFES Mall, she'd be more recognizable than if she were a dependent not working on the base. She'd be seen regularly by many people at Ft. Bragg every day, and they'd remember the salesclerk who was pregnant and have spoken to her. But a pregnant spouse with dirty blond hair in her early 20's, whose husband is deployed? She'd be practically invisible if she didn't choose to participate in a spouse's group of some sort. Ft. Bragg is massive!
Her baby could be from someone besides her husband OR it could be that she has been depressed, didn't even go to the dr, the baby came at home and she took it to a doorstep because she just couldn't cope.

STEADFAST said:

You know, I really think if this young woman worked at the PX or one of the shops at the AAFES Mall, she'd be more recognizable than if she were a dependent not working on the base. She'd be seen regularly by many people at Ft. Bragg every day, and they'd remember the salesclerk who was pregnant and have spoken to her. But a pregnant spouse with dirty blond hair in her early 20's, whose husband is deployed? She'd be practically invisible if she didn't choose to participate in a spouse's group of some sort. Ft. Bragg is massive!
Her baby could be from someone besides her husband OR it could be that she has been depressed, didn't even go to the dr, the baby came at home and she took it to a doorstep because she just couldn't cope.

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Sorry, to clarify, i meant looked over my the military as a suspect, rather than a restaurant employee in the baby dropping. They'd probably be looking at the spouses first. The reason I say that is because it's less likely that a restaurant employee has any business near the homes on base, and possibly doesn't even know their way around base as well. I was in Mayport which isn't very big, but I could barely remember the way back to pick up my ex after work. :doh: Also, non-military workers leave the base every night, and would be more likely to drop it off elsewhere, imo. Probably somewhere they're more familiar with and where they think no one will see them. I always felt like there were eyes everywhere on base, because it's always so busy, so I think whoever did this was rather brazen.

I lean more towards a spouse, but I think it's completely possible that someone non-military but with access to the base could have done this. They might have even thought it would fall under the safe haven laws.

They estimated the baby was at least three days old ... If this Mother did not live alone I would think someone would have heard the baby cry?

Maybe it is a non-military employee who lives off base and she brought the baby knowing someone would discover him. Perhaps the base is a familiar and safe place to this person or the Father is a soldier on post.