Advertising

The Seattle Times Company

NWjobs | NWautos | NWhomes | NWsource | Free Classifieds | seattletimes.com

The Seattle Times

Local News


Our network sites seattletimes.com | Advanced

Originally published September 30, 2008 at 12:00 AM | Page modified September 30, 2008 at 12:32 PM

Comments (0)     E-mail article     Print view

Detectives aren't saying why Federal Way woman left newborn

A 22-year-old Federal Way woman told police on Monday that she left her newborn daughter on the doorstep at Steel Lake Presbyterian Church early Sunday.

Seattle Times staff reporter

Safe havens

Volunteers at a 24-hour crisis line for new and expecting mothers can provide information about safe-haven laws in all 50 states and resources to help a woman decide whether to keep her baby, give it up for adoption or leave it in a safe place. The toll-free number for the Newborn Lifeline Network is 1-877-440-2229.

Information is also available from Safe Place for Newborns Washington, based in Bothell, at www.safeplacefornewbornsWA.org.

A 22-year-old Federal Way woman walked into the city's police department Monday afternoon and told detectives she had left her newborn daughter on a church doorstep early Sunday.

She answered detectives' questions and provided a DNA sample, but despite officers' urgings, she declined medical treatment. After a two-hour interview, she was driven home, said Cathy Schrock, a spokeswoman for Federal Way police.

"The totality of the circumstances guided our decision not to book her," said Schrock, adding that detectives will forward their case to King County prosecutors for a charging decision.

The woman could be charged with child abandonment, a Class C felony. State law shields parents from prosecution only if an infant is left at a hospital or a manned fire station within 72 hours of the baby's birth.

The baby, nicknamed Autumn Doe by the nursing staff at St. Joseph's Medical Center in Tacoma, is a healthy, 5-pound girl.

"She's not sick, she's not injured, nor has she been abused," said hospital spokesman Gale Robinette. "We have this little baby and she's in great shape."

Detectives aren't saying why the mother left the infant on the concrete stoop outside the glass doors at Steel Lake Presbyterian Church just after 2 a.m. Sunday. But the church's pastor has posted a sign on those glass doors with his cellphone number — a sign he says will stay up for good in case another mother ever finds herself in the 22-year-old's shoes.

"We're praying for both mother and child," said the Rev. Brent Anderson. "I think it's sad. I wish she'd known to bring the baby to a fire department or hospital, and I just hope that word can get out."

Baby was 6 hours old

Surveillance footage from the church shows a young woman leaving the child outside the glass doors. The baby was about 6 hours old when she was left on the doorstep, swaddled in a bloody beach towel. The baby spent nearly six hours alone in 49-degree temperatures before she was discovered by a parishioner and taken to a hospital by police about 8 a.m. Sunday.

Concerned for the mother's well-being, Schrock said, police released details to the news media — and the story spread.

The publicity apparently paid off, Schrock said: At 6:15 a.m. Monday, the woman returned to the church, walked inside but left within two minutes, likely because there was a service under way for a Korean congregation.

The woman then began making phone calls — including one to the lead detective. She left a message sometime before 8 a.m., saying she was OK and wanted the news coverage to stop, Schrock said.

Just after noon, the woman arrived at the Police Department. She understands that leaving the baby was a crime, said Schrock, who could not provide any information about the baby's father.

Officials with Child Protective Services (CPS) are preparing a petition for a hearing in juvenile court later this week to have the baby made a dependent of the state, said Steve Williams, a spokesman for the state Department of Social and Heath Services, which oversees CPS.

The baby will remain in the hospital for the next few days. Caseworkers are looking for a suitable foster family to care for her while the case gets resolved, Williams said.

Safe-haven laws

Many young pregnant women are in denial and often are able to hide their pregnancy, said Kathy Satow of Pekin, Ind., who founded the Newborn Lifeline Network when she was pregnant with her now 9-year-old daughter.

The network operates a 24-hour crisis line and can provide information on safe-haven laws in all 50 states. Last year, the hotline received 1,700 calls from across the country.

Satow said that many people assume young mothers who abandon their babies are teens from underprivileged backgrounds, but she said that's not usually the case.

Instead, she said, they typically are 21- to 24-year-old college students who go "a little haywire" out on their own for the first time, she said. They "don't want to test their security net" — namely their own parents — and so go into crisis once they deliver.

"It's great if we can get a safe baby, and that's our primary goal," Satow said. "But if we can get a safe baby and a safe mom, we've done our job."

Sara Jean Green: 206-515-5654 or sgreen@seattletimes.com

Copyright © 2008 The Seattle Times Company

More Local News headlines...

E-mail article Print view      Share:    Digg     Newsvine

Comments
No comments have been posted to this article. Start the conversation.

advertising

Big demand, grim outlook for state Basic Health Plan

Flood fears dampen business, home sales

Nicole Brodeur: Homeless woman bent on giving

Portland cafe's specialty: medical-marijuana tokes

NEW - 10:22 AM
Some southbound Alaskan Way Viaduct lanes to close briefly today

Advertising

Video

PNW Magazine | Easy As Pie
A little friendly competition between professional pie-baker Kate McDermott and The Seatttle Times' Kathleen Triesch Saul is handled with great taste.

Real Salt Lake wins MLS Cup
Raw Video | Real Salt Lake fans celebrate
Raw Video | Real Salt Lake receives the MLS Cup trophy
Real Salt Lake fans enter Qwest Field
Raw Video | MLS Cup Opening Ceremony
LA Galaxy's David Beckham
Real Salt Lake's Kyle Beckerman
MLS trophy arrives in Seattle
Chittenden Locks Inspection

Marketplace

Open Houses

Find this weekend's open house listings.
Or search by location:

nwautos

Less is more: Group rides, good gas mileage have led to a scooter swarm in Seattlenew
Local riders say they've seen a surge in scooter interest in recent years, mostly from people wanting another commuting option. Seattle now ranks as o...
Post a comment

 
Most read
Most commented
Most e-mailed
 
 
Advertising