Baltimore County police said a newborn child was found in the bushes behind a house in Reisterstown.
Police said the 21-year-old mother of the baby had thrown the child out of a second-floor window right after giving birth, and that the baby survived the fall. The woman’s identity hasn’t been released.
Police said the mother gave birth to the baby girl, separated her from her body and tossed the newborn out of the window, where she landed in a row of bushes 10 feet to 12 feet below.
Moments later, the woman’s sister heard the baby’s cries, police said.
“When she went outside and looked to the rear of the house, she found a baby wrapped in a plastic bag,” said Baltimore County police Lt. Rob McCullough.
He said the family called police, and paramedics rushed the infant to a hospital.
Officials said they’re still not sure why the mother would do that.
“There were claims that she didn’t know she was pregnant. We do know that family members had conveyed that they didn’t know she was pregnant,” McCullough said.
Neighbors who have known the woman and her family for years said they’re shocked to hear what happened.
“She comes from class A parents. Her mother and father — you can’t beat them,” said neighbor Dale Bilbo.
“I don’t know what to say. She’s a nice girl, trying to go to school. She already had a kid, so she was just trying to take care of herself,” said neighbor Ray Garnett.
Police are still interviewing the woman and her family to see if she should face child abuse or neglect charges.
Authorities said the baby is in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at Greater Baltimore Medical Center and will be in the custody of Maryland Social Services.
