TAMPA, Fla. — Police launched a death investigation after a baby was found dead on a Tampa college campus Sunday.
The Tampa Police Department said just before 7 p.m., they responded to a report of a deceased infant near McKay Hall at the University of Tampa. TPD said officers found a newborn girl wrapped in a towel and placed in a garbage bin.
"The loss of a child is always a tragedy," said Chief Lee Bercaw. "As our department actively investigates this incident, we want all expectant mothers to know there are resources available."
The body was taken to the Medical Examiner's office for an autopsy to determine the cause of death. Police said the mother of the child was found and taken to a nearby hospital.
"The University is cooperating with TPD on the investigation and is offering counseling and resources to the campus community," UT officials said in a statement.
TPD added that Florida has a Safe Haven Law, which "allows parents to anonymously surrender an unharmed newborn infant seven days old or younger to any Fire Station, EMS station, or hospital staffed by full-time emergency medical technicians, paramedics, or firefighters. There will be no questions asked, and no charges will be filed for surrendering a newborn under the Safe Haven Law unless the infant has signs of abuse or neglect."
“There’s opportunities for them as a mother, resources that are available to them, and also for the child, that you don’t have to make decisions that could affect you or the child for the rest of their lives," said Robbie Northrop, the Personnel Chief with Tampa Fire Rescue.
Tampa Fire Rescue shared photos with ABC Action News of a success story they had through the Safe Haven for Newborns program.
Last August, a young mother surrendered her newborn to Tampa Fire Rescue station 13.
“In this particular case, she actually called 911 first and talked to them about the process and had them walk her through the process," said Northrop. "The dispatch center then called us while we were in the station and told us that there was a young lady out front. I walked outside to meet with her. She had the baby in a duffle bag along with a few products and surrendered the child to us and said that she wasn’t able to take care of it.”
That newborn was checked out at a hospital and taken into a foster home, where that family later adopted the child.
Pam Stenzel is the hotline director for Safe Haven Baby Boxes. She answers calls from a 24/7 hotline to assist mothers in crisis. She receives calls from across the country.
"We're available to talk to any woman in crisis about what her options are, make sure she understands the Safe Haven Law in her state and what a surrender would look like if that's what she chooses to do," said Stenzel.
Stenzel said the organization has helped more than 150 women across the country to safely surrender their baby.
"In other words, walk into that fire station and hand that baby directly to a firefighter or hospital staff in a hospital and we've had about 44 babies safely and legally surrendered in one of our boxes. We have 220 Safe Haven Baby Boxes across the country in 16 different states," said Stenzel.
There are two Safe Haven Baby Boxes in Florida including one in Ocala and another one in Newberry (Alachua County).
For more information, visit: https://www.shbb.org/crisis
If you're an expectant mother and are in need of support, you can contact the following resources:
- The Crisis Center of Tampa Bay: Dial 211
- Florida Department of Health, Maternal & Child Health Section: 850-245-4047
- The National Safe Haven Alliance Hotline: 888-510-2229
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