A little boy left at a fire station as a newborn under Kentucky’s Safe Infants Act two years ago has been adopted by the family that’s been caring for him since he was a few days old.
Two years ago, Baby Samuel was left at a fire station — a designated safe haven location — in Louisville in the middle of a shift change on May 12, 2022. According to Lt. Col. Bobby Cooper, assistant chief for the Louisville Fire Department, firefighters heard the doorbell to the station ring at about 8 a.m. On the doorstep, they found a newborn baby in a box with a note from his birth mother.
“The [firefighters] notified emergency transportation, EMS, to be able to transport Samuel to a local children’s hospital, to get him checked out and make sure that he was healthy and that he got the proper care that he needed,” Cooper told Good Morning America. “Our firefighters did a tremendous job of handling it and notifying the appropriate authorities.”
Chris and Brittany Tyler were at their home in Louisville when they saw an online story about a newborn who had been surrendered at the fire station. Kentucky’s Safe Infants Act allows parents to surrender babies under 30 days old anonymously at designated locations. Each state has its own version of a safe haven law, which is meant to curb infant abandonment and death. The couple immediately “prayed and hoped” they would be the ones called to take care of the baby.
Chris explained that he and Brittany first became foster parents seven years ago after dealing with infertility. They had already fostered 15 children and adopted two sons, ages five and seven. They were thrilled when a few days after reading Samuel’s story, they received a phone call asking if they were able to foster a baby. The next day, they were in the neonatal intensive care unit of the local hospital with little Samuel.
“He was in the NICU for a couple of weeks before he was ready to come home [because] he was so small,” Brittany said. He weighed just three pounds at birth. “And we were able to visit him in the NICU that entire time.”
READ: Wisconsin governor signs law allowing installation of Safe Haven Baby Boxes
Once Samuel was home with the couple in June, their two older sons “absolutely loved him,” said Brittany.
Now, two years later, they have officially adopted Samuel. They celebrated by going to Build-A-Bear, where they took their older sons after their adoptions as well. Samuel made a firefighter bear.
The family also continues to visit the fire station and the firefighters who first helped Samuel. “We’ve got a great photo of the firemen that were on duty that day holding him, and we’re talking about these huge guys … and just massive smiles,” said Chris. “[They] know that there’s a special connection between Samuel and that fire station, and with them particularly.”
Lt. Cooper and the Tylers hope Samuel’s story raises awareness for the Safe Infant Act.
“It’s an imperfect world, and we don’t have perfect solutions for every situation, but this is another option for a mom,” said Cooper. “If a mom finds herself in a crisis situation and needs a haven for an infant, this is another resource that’s available.”
Chris Tyler shared, “We really want to let [Samuel] know that somebody loved him even though they weren’t going to be with him for his whole life. That [his biological mom] loved him and wanted the best for him, and she trusted that he would go to a good place, and we’re thankful to God that he came to us.”
