Alfdog

Landlord Claims He Knows Toddler's Mom

POSTED: 7:41 am PDT June 15, 2007

Police said a toddler was found abandoned in the parking lot of a Delaware hospital on Saturday. He had a note with him.

The note left with the abandoned boy left no question that the child was being abandoned, according to Joe Smack with Family Services. The note did not include any usable name for the child.

"We can confirm a note was found with the child confirming for investigators that the mother was intending to abandon her child. The contents of the note we're not going to speak to yet," Sgt. Jeffrey Whitmarsh of the Delaware State Police.

And although it's been nearly a week, Delaware authorities still don't know who abandoned the boy. Police said they would shift the investigation to Hightstown, N.J., after a landlord said the child and his mother lived in an apartment he rents out above a cafe, a source told Philadelphia TV station WCAU-TV.

Local police went to the apartment after the landlord told police he recognized the toddler from television reports, but there was no sign of the woman there, the source said.

Registered nurse Marissa Walls said she was surprised when returning from lunch Saturday at about 12:45 p.m. to find the 12- to 18-month-old boy sitting all alone on the ground under a tree in a parking space outside the hospital. She said he was crying for attention and in danger of being run over.

"I scooped him up. He came right to me," said the nurse from Wilmington. "I walked him up to the maternity entrance there, which it takes a good two minutes to walk up there, so anybody who was looking at me had ample time to claim their baby. But no one called me, and I was very surprised."

Although he was alone, police said he was bathed, wearing clean clothing and appeared very well cared for.

The Delaware State Police and Division of Family Services were notified, but so far they haven't been able to figure out the child's identity or where he came from. He remains in the department's custody.

According to Delaware officials, abandonment in the state is quite rare. The only other case that comes to mind was a newborn found in a Dover trashcan three years ago, and that child has since been adopted.

Delaware has a Safe Arms for Babies Act that allows any child 2 weeks old or younger to be given up at any Delaware Hospital or Medical Center, with virtually no questions asked, except for medical information and a family contact number.

Children older than that are considered abandoned, and the Division of Family Services could move to have Family Court terminate parental rights within 30 days, so the child could be up for adoption within six months.

Area parents expressed shock at the abandonment and asked why a parent would do that.

"Probably just a lack of understanding of the importance of life itself," said one mother, while acknowledging that having kids "is a lot of work, yes."

"I feel very sorry for that mother, that she doesn't have her priorities in order when there are people out here who, you know, want to have children," said Terri Ray, of Newark.

Tipsters have been calling. But state police said they need more help.

"We're asking folks that, if you call in, please work with us a little bit. Your information is certainly very much appreciated," Whitmarsh said.

If anyone has information about this child, they are asked to contact investigators at the Delaware State Police, at 302-834-2620 extension 5, or the Division of Family Services at 1-800-292-9582.

"I'm really happy that I found him and not someone who may not have done the right thing," Walls said

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MWPC Presidente , MW80's #001 , MWJC #002 , MWAN #011

joesmith

Needs a retroactive abortion on his mother.

Flyboy 06

I hate people

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4,166 posts down the drain :meh:

OFF

Actually, hat's off to the mother for being smart enough to realize the kid was better off without her.

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Flyboy 06

Shes still a retard for just leaving the child.

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4,166 posts down the drain :meh:

JohnnyBlazed

Who does that? Jesus, thats 2 sad. Fuk joo messican 4 ruining mi morning

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AZ- Importing Californians since 1992

" None are more hopelessly enslaved, than those who falsely believe they are free" -Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

OFF

sh1t happens. What would you think of her if she tried to sell the kid on Ebay instead?

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joesmith

Depends on the reserve.

Sunburst Six

Why didn't she give it up for adoption instead of just abandoning it?

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OFF

doesn't like lawyers, police, and red tape?

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StangAddict

No sh!t.

Just thinking about what this boy must have gone through breaks my heart. I can't even imagine how the kid must feel.

Anyone who thinks this was good for the boy is a straight . If she couldn't handle the responsibility she should have contacted social services or an adoption agency herself and worked through a planned transition.

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'92 Bright Red LX 5.0

Select Stangs

MWRFHC fo' life.

OFF

at that age, the kid won't remember a thing when he grows up.

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91_5ohgt

so its a good thing that the child was left abandoned???

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OFF

of course not, but at least she dropped the kid off at a hospital, with a note.

It's not like she left it in a rat infested back alley or gave it to her dealer in exchange for a couple hits.

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beanbat

how funny would that be? You could introduce yourself to new people with a great opener. "Hello, my name is Tim. My parents got me out of a trashcan".

I wish I had been found in a trashcan

beanbat

at 12-18mo old, the kid doesn't even know up from down.

C17chief

You see shiat like that on the news all the time here. I wonder why they choose this particular one to spread nationally.

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09 Escape
03 F-150

StangAddict

Got kids, ballbag? I do.

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'92 Bright Red LX 5.0

Select Stangs

MWRFHC fo' life.

NS

In Ca, you can abadon your kid at firestations, no questions asked. My neighbor tried taking his 16yr old son, but they said he was too old.

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No.....**** you!