Neighbors on Indy’s Far East Side are reeling after a newborn was discovered Friday in a tree line near a trail off Lace Bark Lane and Long Wharf Drive. The infant was rushed to Riley Hospital for Children, where medical staff say the baby is in stable condition. Now, police are pleading with the public to help identify the child’s mother as detectives work to piece together what happened.
IMPD Posts Details And Case Number
In a post on IMPD News, officers said they were dispatched Friday to the Lace Bark Lane and Long Wharf Drive area to check the welfare of a child. When they arrived, they found a newborn “in the tree line near a trail.”
According to the same IMPD News post, the baby was taken to Riley Hospital for Children and is in stable condition. Detectives say they are deeply concerned that the mother may need urgent medical attention, and they are urging anyone with information to come forward. The investigation is listed under case number IP260059334.
Safe-Surrender Law And Protections
According to the Indiana Department of Child Services, the state’s Safe Haven law allows a parent to surrender a newborn to emergency medical personnel or place the infant in a designated newborn safety device without fear of arrest, as long as the child appears to be no more than 60 days old and is unharmed. Under that policy, DCS immediately assumes custody of the baby, and the parent’s identity is protected by law.
How To Report Tips
According to IMPD News, tipsters can remain anonymous if they choose while sharing information with investigators. If you have any details that could help, you are asked to call 911, contact the IMPD Missing Persons Unit at 317-327-6160, or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana at 317-262-TIPS (8477). For the missing-persons contact, see WRTV, and for anonymous tips see Crime Stoppers of Central Indiana.
Investigators say the case remains active. Anyone who was in the Lace Bark Lane area on Friday and has dash-cam, doorbell, or trail camera footage is urged to review it and contact detectives with anything that might help explain how the newborn ended up in the tree line.
