A young girl was abandoned at a hospital in Dallas on Monday, and child welfare officials are asking for the community’s help to find her parents or legal guardians.
The child, believed to be a 6-year-old named Alejandra, was dropped off at the emergency room of Baylor Medical Center Dallas, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (TDFPS) told NBC 5 DFW. She was left there by a woman, presumed to be her mother.
The girl was unable to provide any further identifying information about herself or her family.
Texas’ Safe Haven Law allows parents to leave newborns and infants at hospitals, fire stations, and EMS stations without fear of prosecution if the parent cannot care for them. However, this law only applies if the child is 60 days old or younger, and the parent must give the infant to a personnel member at that location, stating that they want to leave the baby at a Safe Haven.
The Plano Police Department issued a media advisory earlier this year reminding citizens of this law after a couple abandoned an hours-old infant outside a local business, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The Safe Haven Law would not apply in this case because Alejandra is not an infant.
Kate Mataya, a partner at McClure Law Group in Dallas, told NBC 5, “The consequences for leaving a 6-year-old child at a hospital are very serious.” She added that abandonment could be grounds to take away custody from the parent.
“It is my understanding that this is criminal conduct under the Texas Penal Code, to abandon a child, especially in a situation where you’re exposing the child to unreasonable risk of harm,” Mataya said.
If the girl’s family or guardians cannot be located, TDFPS will begin the process of finding caregivers for her.
“My understanding is that she’ll need to be placed in care, an immediate placement, and then look to find either a family placement, possibly if one can be identified,” Mataya said, per NBC 5. “And then if not, looking at placing her in foster care longer-term.”
Anyone with information about the girl or her family is asked to call Maria Villegas with the Texas DFPS at 214-901-4649.
