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Newborn baby with umbilical cord still attached found in dumpster outside taco shop

The baby was pulled from the dumpster, still wet

Amelia Neath
Thursday 25 July 2024 18:44 BST
The incident took place near Dashwood Drive in Houston, Texas. A baby was pulled out of a dumpster along this street by EMS on Sunday
The incident took place near Dashwood Drive in Houston, Texas. A baby was pulled out of a dumpster along this street by EMS on Sunday (ABC13/YouTube)

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A newborn baby boy with an umbilical cord still attached was pulled from a dumpster this week outside an apartment block in South Houston.

In heartbreaking footage obtained by ABC13, EMS can be seen rescuing the newborn — who was found healthy — out of the dumpster behind an apartment complex in southwest Houston on Sunday just before 2 p.m.

Reporters from the local outlet claim that they saw Houston Police Department investigators focusing their attention on a nearby food truck.

The investigators took pictures inside and spoke to multiple people who witnesses say are employees and owners of the truck.

The apartment complex manager told the news site that the food truck had only been parked there for around three months.

A suspect has been identified in the case and the Houston Police Department are “continuing to work through the investigation," the police’s spokesperson, Jodi Silva, told ABC News. Sliva said that the name of the suspect will not be released until charges have been filed.

EMS rescuing a baby boy from a dumpster in Houston on Sunday. The abandoned healthy baby was taken to hospital, before being transferred to Child Protection Services
EMS rescuing a baby boy from a dumpster in Houston on Sunday. The abandoned healthy baby was taken to hospital, before being transferred to Child Protection Services (ABC13/YouTube)

Cops were alerted to the newborn when a person called 911 early Sunday afternooon to report that they could hear a baby crying near the dumpster.

In a video captured by witnesses, emergency personnel can be seen wrapping the baby in a blanket next to a dumpster filled with trash.

The video appears to show the baby’s hair still wet and the umbilical cord still attached.

Police told the outlet that the baby boy was taken to hospital, and was determined to be in good health before he was transferred to Child Protection Services. It’s unclear how long the baby was left abandoned inside the dumpster.

Any Texas parent who needs help after giving birth to a newborn baby can take advantage of the Baby Moses, or Safe Haven, law, which allows people to bring their newborns to a designated safe place with no questions asked.

The law allows parents to drop off their newborns at hospitals and fire stations if they think they will be unable to care for their infants.

The Independent has contacted the Houston Police Department for further information.

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