The search is on for the family of a 6-year-old girl left alone at Baylor Medical Center Dallas's emergency room, with Texas officials pleading for any shred of information. The child, who provided her name as Alejandra, was abandoned on December 4 and was unable to give any further details to help locate her relatives. In a push to piece together the little girl's backstory, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services has asked the public to step forward with any leads, as reported by CBS News.
The circumstances have caught the attention of local experts, with family law attorney Kate Mataya expressing her dismay. "As a parent myself, it’s hard to contemplate somebody doing something like this to their child, especially leaving them in such an unsafe situation," she said. The case takes a twist given its contrast to Texas's Baby Moses law, designed to protect infants up to 60 days old who are left at safe havens; Alejandra, however, falls outside this age range, as per NBC DFW.
Authorities are treating the matter seriously, and Mataya warned, "The consequences for leaving a 6-year-old child at a hospital are very serious". She also stated, "No reasonable adult would think that leaving a child who’s 6 years old at a hospital would be a safe situation for them." She also noted the possibility of criminal charges, pointing out that such abandonment could lead to jail time under the Texas Penal Code, according to NBC DFW.
The ongoing investigation has yet to locate Alejandra's family. In the event they remain untraceable, the next steps could involve placing the child under the care of state services. For those who might hold the key to this somber puzzle, Maria Villegas has been designated the contact point and can be reached at 214.901.4649, per CBS News.
