A teenage girl who had been hiding her pregnancy from her family has been arrested for leaving the body her dead baby in an Idaho Safe Haven baby box.
18-year-old Angel Newberry has been charged with failure to report a death after leaving a baby girl’s body in a Safe Haven Baby Box in Blackfoot, Idaho — the only one in the entire state, and approximately two hours away from Twin Falls, where Newberry lives.
The incident happened in October at the Grove Creek Medical Center, where staff responded within a minute. Safe Haven Baby Boxes are climate controlled and electronically monitored, and often located in fire stations or hospitals that are staffed 24/7. When an infant is left in the box, an alarm goes off, alerting staff to respond right away. “Upon removal, they quickly realized that the infant had passed away long before being placed in the baby box,” a press release from police said.
The Blackfoot Police Department issued a press release following Newberry’s arrest, saying it took two months of investigation before she was able to be identified through security footage, which picked up her car at the scene.
READ: Viral TikTok shows how Safe Haven Baby Boxes save lives
Newberry claimed she went into labor on October 12th, and the baby was initially born alive, crying and making noises. She said she attempted to feed her and slept in the room with her, and then the next day, on October 13th, she drove to Blackfoot with the baby, who died at some unknown time. But investigators believe Newberry lied about why she drove to Blackfoot, and also lied when she claimed to have waited in a parking lot for an hour before deciding to surrender her daughter.
Investigators recovered Google searches on her computer of phrases such as, “if a baby passes before being placed in the Safe Haven will you still get in trouble.” As police continue to investigate, Newberry could face more charges.
Safe Haven Baby Boxes were created by Monica Kelsey, a firefighter who was herself abandoned as a baby. She responded to the infant’s death with a strongly-worded statement.
“We are heartbroken,” said Safe Haven Baby Boxes Founder Monica Kelsey. “Let this be clear: this is an illegal, deadly abandonment. Anonymity is only allowed when an infant is safely surrendered completely unharmed. We are fully cooperating with the investigation and providing all information we possess to local authorities. When the baby was placed in the box, she was wrapped in a blanket with the placenta still attached.”
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