LOWELL, Ind. — The mother of the 9-year-old northwestern Indiana girl who found an abandoned newborn baby in the family’s backyard says she and her children are still dealing with the emotional impact of the discovery.
Heidi Laub’s daughter, Elysia Laub, found the female infant between two trees at the edge of their Lowell property early Monday, The Times of Northwest Indiana reported.
“It’s pretty far away from our house, but still in the yard to be seen,” Heidi Laub said. “It makes me think (the mother) wanted it to be found but she didn’t want to be seen, because it was so far from the road. It’s so sad to me that the mother did this.”
Lake County Sheriff John Buncich has called for the mother to come forward and has asked the public to help the investigation by providing any related information.
Nine year old Elysia Laub was playing in her yard when she found an abandoned infant wrapped in a towel @WGNNews pic.twitter.com/OdmS3ATsLm
— Randi Belisomo (@RandiBelisomo) July 11, 2016
9 yr old Elysia Laub found newborn baby while playing outside her house Authorities calling her a “guardian angel.” pic.twitter.com/8VgaQ9hcKq
— marco stendardo (@NBC5Marco) July 11, 2016
Buncich said it is undetermined how long the infant was abandoned. He said the Caucasian baby with brownish-blond hair was found with the umbilical cord and placenta still attached, indicating that she had been born less than a day, and perhaps only a few hours, before being discovered.
Laub said the family had been out in the yard all Sunday so she believes it was abandoned overnight.
Buncich said a medical team at a Crown Point hospital has found the baby to be healthy and in good condition, except for being sunburnt.
The state’s Child Protective Services has found a foster home to care for the child.
For her part, Elysia said that she “I just saw pink legs kicking away,” according to NBC Chicago.
“I knew it was alive and I knew we had something. I could not second-guess myself. I knew we had to get help,” she added.
Epoch Times contributed to this report, adding last two paragraphs.
