PHOENIX — The Phoenix Police Department is investigating after an unconscious baby was found behind a business Thursday and later died.
The unidentified child was located near 35th Avenue and Baseline Road around 1 p.m. after police got a 911 call.
Police say the baby was found near a dumpster and died at the scene. A police spokeswoman said it appears the baby was a newborn.
The victim was later identified as a newborn baby boy. The baby had his umbilical cord still attached.
Investigators are actively searching for the parents.
In addition to anyone who may have seen anything, the Phoenix Police Department is asking anyone that knows someone who was pregnant and is no longer pregnant and without a baby to call 602-262-6151 or Silent Witness at 480-WITNESS.
A reward up to $1,000 is being offered.
While the reason why the child was abandoned is still under investigation, police say fire stations and certain hospitals are safe havens for newborns that cannot be cared for.
The Arizona Department of Child Safety says only about nine people have used it within the last three years.
As for criminal charges, when the person responsible is found will depend on the circumstances. Attorney Benjamin Taylor says this case could end in many different ways.
“In order to have a murder charge you’re going to have to find the baby that left this person to die," says Benjamin Taylor a local attorney. "For a child abuse case if the parent says this is my baby but someone stole it from me and did this it’s more of a child neglect case.”
So to start off, police need to find out who the parent of this child is. That will be a lot easier if the baby was born in a hospital, but officers say so far it’s not clear where the baby was born.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
