A couple walking in Katy Saturday morning found the baby, who had just been born, police said
A Texas woman and her family got the surprise of a lifetime when they went for a hike on June 15 — and found an abandoned baby along the way.
That morning, Daniela Fedele and her family decided to take a morning walk on Casa Martin Drive near Bear Creek in Katy, KHOU 11 reports.
As they headed home in the sweltering heat, they saw something on the floor that they said appeared to be wrapped in a towel.
“I saw two little feet moving and then my husband was right behind me with the dogs, and I yelled at my husband. I’m like, ‘Oh my God, a baby, a baby,'” said Daniela Fedele, reports KHOU 11. “And then my husband is like, ‘Call 911! Call 911!’ And that’s what we did.”
Her husband immediately lifted the baby off the ground as she called for help.
Surveillance footage shows the couple running to a small white walkway near an open field where the baby had been left.
They ran to a nearby street where they waited for first responders to arrive.
Police said surveillance footage shows a slim, young Hispanic or white man walking across the walkway, bending over and leaving something there, then running away. Houston Chronicle reports.
The baby was wrapped in a blanket and the umbilical cord was still attached, police said.
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Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez wrote on June 15 on in a blanket. The child was transported to hospital in fair condition.”
The baby “was just born this morning,” said Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Juan Garcia said, KHOU reported.
Later that day, Gonzalez posted an update saying, “We need your help! We are seeking information about a young Hispanic or white male, slim, white complexion with black hair, who was holding the child wrapped in a towel. He was wearing a black shirt, possibly gray pants. The man was on foot.”
The man could be charged with abandoning his child, Garcia said Houston Chronicle.
On Monday, a spokesperson for the sheriff’s office said the department was still investigating.
“Detectives are searching homes to see if any further videos of the man were seen that day,” he said.
“If we identify an individual, the investigation will be reviewed by the Harris County District Attorney’s Office for any possible charges,” he said.
It is unclear whether the baby remains in the hospital or has been placed in foster care.
In Texas, parents can leave hospitals or firehouses for unwanted babies and if they are safe and unharmed, they will not be charged with neglect or abandonment. Houston Chronicle reports.
Anyone with information is asked to call the Harris County Sheriff’s Office or Crime Stoppers.
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