Baby abandoned in box on frigid Alaska street corner
The Associated Press, By Becky Bohrer, Jan. 3, 2022
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A newborn baby was reported in stable and healthy condition Monday after being found days earlier abandoned in a cardboard box in frigid temperatures near a rural intersection around Fairbanks, according to authorities in Alaska.
Alaska State Troopers, in a statement, said they were notified around 2 p.m. Friday that a baby had been found abandoned. The wind chill factor in the area at that time was reported around 12 below zero. The baby appeared to have been left at the location recently, troopers said.
Kelly Atlee, a spokesperson with Foundation Health Partners in Fairbanks, said by email Monday that the baby is “stable and healthy.” Atlee said she could not provide additional information. The Fairbanks Memorial Hospital is among the facilities that are part of the health organization.
A map of the intersection where the baby was found — identified by troopers as Dolphin Way and Chena Point Avenue — appears to be a more rural setting.
Tim DeSpain, a troopers spokesperson, said Monday he had no further information to share. “We are continuing to seek assistance from media and the public to determine the circumstances of the child,” he said by email.
The troopers said they are asking anyone who might have information about the child to contact them.
A woman posted on social media that she found the baby near a row of mailboxes. The post, dated Friday, included video of a letter that started with the words “please help me!!!” and said the child’s parents and grandparents “don’t have food or money to raise me.”
“Please take me and find me a LOVING FAMILY. My parents are begging whoever finds me,” the letter shown in the video states.
The post was later taken down or made private, and the person who posted it did not respond to a request for comment. Troopers said a note was left with the child “indicating the parent could not take care” of them but provided no other details.
DeSpain did not respond to numerous questions, including if he could confirm the authenticity of the letter posted online.
Alaska has a so-called safe haven law that allows parents to legally surrender an infant under certain conditions, such as leaving the baby in the physical custody of someone such as a peace officer, doctor, hospital employee or firefighter or with someone they believe would provide appropriate care. The law applies to babies younger than 21 days old.
