MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. — Authorities don't know why a child was given up, but a mother of a newborn baby has taken a desperate step to make sure her little girl would be safe.
The unidentified mother left her child in a Safe Haven Baby Box at a Michigan City, Indiana, fire station.
Volunteer firefighter Lt. Chuck Koehler said he received an alarm from the box at his fire station and got there less than a minute after the alert went out, The Associated Press reported. When he opened the container, he found the baby, made sure she was OK and waited for paramedics to arrive, according WBBM.
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She still had the umbilical cord attached, WBBM reported, but was healthy, the AP reported.
The girl, who firefighters named "Grace," will be given to Indiana Department of Child Services, the AP reported.
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There are two stations in Indiana with a Safe Haven Baby Box, which allows mothers to give up their newborns anonymously by dropping them off at hospitals, police stations or fire houses, within 30 days of being born, as part of the state's Safe Haven law, WBBM reported.
The box is climate controlled, and once the door is opened, a silent alarm is triggered and a 911 call is sent. When the door is shut, it locks until firefighters or paramedics arrive to open it, WBBM reported.
This is the second time the box has been utilized in about 5 months. Another baby girl was left in the box back in November. She was adopted just before Christmas. Firefighters named that little girl, "Hope," WBBM reported.
Cox Media Group contributed to this story.
Cox Media Group
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