Young Parents Surrender Hour-Old Newborn to Tx. Store Employees Who Helped Them After Baby's Birth
"If new parents find themselves unable to properly care for their newborn, remember that there is no shame in asking for help," police said
WFAA/YouTube
Angela Owens and Tabatha PeriYoung parents surrendered their newborn child to employees at a Texas medical supply store after the workers helped them following the birth of their baby.
Around 2:00 p.m. local time on July 5, police were "notified of an abandoned newborn baby, wrapped in a towel, which had been left at a local business in the 600 Block of N. Central Expressway in Plano," according to a statement from the Plano Police Department. "The callers advised that the male and female who left the child advised they had delivered the child only an hour(s) prior."
Angela Owens and Tabatha Peri were working at Hieline Mobility Solutions when the young parents arrived outside the business, according to CBS affiliate WFAA.
The store is located next to a Planned Parenthood location, which they mistakenly believed was a location where they could surrender their child under Texas’ Safe Haven Law, according to NBC affiliate KXAS-TV.
The male came inside around 2 p.m. and informed the employees that they needed assistance, so Owens and Peri rushed to help, per the reports.
“I open the passenger door to see a young girl sitting there with a newborn baby in her lap, wrapped in a towel,” Owens told WFAA.
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The employees said the baby’s mother said she did not know she was pregnant before giving birth, per the outlet. Owens called 911 and helped clamp the baby’s umbilical cord using a string.
“I’m proud of them for asking for help,” Owens said. “That doesn’t happen all the time.”
But Owens was concerned that the pair wouldn’t make it to one of the designated Safe Haven locations in time and took the child herself, WFAA reported.
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The baby was eventually transported to a Dallas hospital “and is in good condition,” according to a statement from the Plano Police Department.
Both the mother and father, who "were unable to care for their newborn," have been identified by authorities and an investigation is ongoing.
It is unclear whether they will face charges.
Per the state's Safe Haven Law, "individuals who are unable to care for their child the safe and legal option to leave their infant with an employee at a designated safe place—a hospital, fire station, free-standing emergency centers or emergency medical services station-and will not be prosecuted for abandonment or neglect.," according to the PPD.
According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, any baby under 60 days old who is "unharmed and safe" is eligible for surrender under the law.
Peri told WFAA-TV that they are hoping they will not "end up in trouble" as a result of their decision. “I feel like they did the right thing,” she said.
The PPD is urging parents who may find themselves in a similar situation to do what is best for their newborns.
“If new parents find themselves unable to properly care for their newborn, remember that there is no shame in asking for help and that taking steps to ensure the well-being of the child should always be the top priority,” the department said in its statement.
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