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CPS Given Temporary
Custody Of Abandoned Baby
Agency Hopes Parent Will Come
Forward, Provide Medical History
POSTED: 12:52 pm CDT August 3, 2005
UPDATED: 12:53 pm CDT August 3, 2005
HOUSTON --
Child Protective Services was granted temporary custody
Wednesday of a newborn girl abandoned in west Houston
so that the agency can move forward in the adoption process,
Local 2 reported.
Calls have poured into CPS from people wanting to adopt
the baby girl, known as"Angel Doe," who was
abandoned in an alley behind a west Houston shopping center
on Sunday.
"We've gotten a lot of phone calls, even people just
wanting to donate, give her something, give her a blanket
or a stuffed animal," CPS spokeswoman Estella Olguin
told Local 2.
Olguin said now that CPS has temporary custody of the
newborn, they could begin looking for a permanent home
for Angel Doe.
"She did have a pretty rough start at life, so we
know that it is important that whoever is going to be
raising her provides her with a safe and loving home,"
Olguin said.
Chris Patten, an employee of the Cyberium Game Center
located on Memorial Drive near Dairy Ashford Drive, found
the 6-pound, 6-ounce, full-term newborn when he took out
the trash.
Authorities believe the girl was abandoned hours after
her birth. Investigators said the baby's umbilical cord
was cut off and tied with a rubber band. She was wrapped
in a yellow blanket with a pacifier.
Doctors at West Houston Medical Center listed the infant
in good condition Monday, but said they wanted to run
more tests to find out if she suffers any medical problems
since no one knows her or her parents' medical history.
Hospital officials expect the infant to be released into
a foster home Wednesday afternoon, where she will stay
until the adoption process is completed.
If Angel Doe's biological parents come forward before
then, CPS will consider whether or not her relatives can
keep her.
"We would, of course, have to first prove that they
are the parents. So DNA testing would have to be done,
and then we would look to see if any of these family members
would be willing to care for the baby, and if they are
appropriate and would be able to give her a safe home,"
Olguin said.
Olquin said she hopes the mother or father will come forward
in order to provide a medical history for the child.
Harris County has a number of families already approved
for adoption of a newborn baby, according to Olguin, so
CPS will have plenty of options on where to place the
girl.
The Baby Moses Law, enacted by the state Legislature in
1999, allows mothers to legally leave their baby at facilities
that can provide emergency care such as fire stations
and hospitals.
This is the third baby abandoned in the Houston area this
year. One of those babies died.
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