Newborn left on Federal Way church steps

A newborn girl abandoned on a church doorstep when she was just 6 hours old was hospitalized in fair condition Sunday night while Federal Way police searched for the young woman believed to be her mother.

Police said a young woman — possibly a teenager — arrived at Steel Lake Presbyterian Church, 1829 S. 308th St., at about 2:15 a.m. Sunday and left the baby in front of the glass entrance doors.

The baby, swaddled in a bloody beach towel, spent nearly six hours alone in 49-degree temperatures before she was discovered by a church employee and taken to a hospital by police at about 8 a.m., said police spokeswoman Cathy Schrock.

"The baby obviously suffered the effects of being outside in the cold, but she is in fair condition," Schrock said Sunday.

Placental blood found on the brightly colored towel is believed to belong to the mother, whom police are seeking as part of a felony investigation into child abandonment and to make sure she gets proper medical care.

Police described her as white, with dark blonde or light brown hair that falls past her shoulders. She was wearing what appeared to be dark sweatpants, with stripes down the side, and white tennis shoes.

State law allows people to legally drop off a child or other dependent person at emergency rooms, hospitals and fire stations when "qualified personnel," such as emergency medical technicians, are present.

"All you have to say is, 'I cannot care for this child,' and walk away," Schrock said. By leaving the child unattended at a place where there was no one qualified to care for the baby, the woman committed a felony, she said.

"We want to talk to her about why," Schrock said. "The sooner we get the mitigating circumstances, the better."

A surveillance video shows the woman walking in the shadows through the church parking lot to the entranceway, where the lighting was brighter. After looking around briefly, she lays the baby in the entranceway, and after a brief adjustment to a towel, walks away. Car lights seen shortly after indicated she may have arrived in a vehicle, police said.

Anyone with information on the woman is asked to call either 911 or Federal Way police Detective K.C. Krusey at 253- 835-6895.