LAKELAND, Fla. — A newborn baby boy was found dead inside a bag in a dumpster on Thursday morning in Lakeland, Police Chief Sam Taylor said during a press conference.
Taylor estimated the baby was less than 10 hours old. He said the placenta and umbilical cord were still attached.
Taylor said the baby was found by a man going through the dumpster behind Just Move on South Florida Avenue.
The baby's body is now with the Medical Examiner, Taylor said, to determine the cause of death. The baby was viable, according to Taylor, who said, "I would actually refer to it as a baby."
Taylor said there were two locations down the road where the baby could have been left under the state's Safe Haven Laws.
Safe Haven Laws allow a newborn up to seven days old to be taken to any Safe Haven facility recognized by state law anonymously and without fear of prosecution. The babies can be surrendered to any hospital, fire station, or EMS station that has a full-time staff in the state.
There is also one Safe Haven Baby Box in the state, which is located in Ocala. Baby boxes are installed in an exterior wall of a designated safe haven; they have an outside door that automatically locks when a baby is placed inside. They also have an interior door that allows the surrendered baby to be accessed from inside the building.
Click here for more information on Safe Haven Laws in Polk County.
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Earlier this year in Polk County, a newborn baby girl was left in a wooded area in Mulberry. Authorities said the baby was found after someone who lived nearby heard a noise that they thought was a cat crying.
The baby still had an umbilical cord and placenta attached to her. Authorities estimated she was left just an hour or so after she was born.
The sheriff's office has yet to locate the mother of that baby.
