The Associated Press

LAWRENCE — A newborn baby has been found in a shoe box on the porch of a home in the northeastern Indianapolis suburb of Lawrence.

Police say the baby girl was found Wednesday morning by two women visiting the home and appeared to be “literally hours old.”

Lawrence Detective Gary Woodruff says the infant was wrapped in a towel and a handwritten note left in the box read, “I can’t take care of my baby. Please help.”

Woodruff says the girl was awake and crying and was taken to Riley Hospital for Children in stable condition. The outside temperature was 14 degrees when the baby was found.

Police were searching for the mother and did not know whether there was a reason why the baby was left at that particular home.


This is pathetic....we have safe haven laws here...what is wrong with people

I am probably going to step in it big time. Here Goes when they find the mother I don't honestly give a rats but on the reason she left that infant on that particular porch. To be left outside in 14 degree weather is unforgivable to me. Sorry charges should be pressed since there is so many safe haven laws in effect this is
not excusable in any fashion.

She is probably very young, scared and ignorant to the laws and rules, and probably wasnt of the mind to be aware of hurting the child since the note said she was wanting someone to take care of the child.
You never know!!

maybe she was unaware of the safe haven laws

maybe the father lives in that house

be thankful that child was found alive and healthy and will be cared for now, and pray that it continues to be cared for


as for the mother hope she finds peace

Probably young like you said. also where was the dad in that situation he is as much to blame as the mother.

So easy to have sex and forget the implication, every time a dad leaves his child and disappears he should get a 18 year sentence for being a coward.

The home was that of an elderly couple and our safe haven laws have been in effect for 10 years now...there is no excuse for this...she could have gone to any hospital, convenience store, fire station...but she chose to put the child in danger

Without focusing on how terminally sick and stupid the breeder was, someone is about to receive the gift of parenthood and will eventually let the child know how lucky they are.

so sad

Thank goodness the baby was still alive. Often times stories like these have a much worse ending.

there are things that occur in this world for which there is no understanding, to degrees of horror that you could not imagine, whatever the reasons


be happy the child is alive and well

it could have been tossed in a dumpster...

Understood but if the girl turns out to be very young she may not understand what those laws mean or even know of them depending on how she is raised!!

I'm grateful to hear the baby lived. The breeder means nothing to me.

First of all... why just the father? Abandonment is just as much an issue for women. That being said...

Noone ever knows the whole story. The mother (or father, since we do not know WHO it was that laid the baby on the porch) may be sick or young... or all those things already mentioned by other posters. We can NEVER really know the whole picture unless we are the ones inside of the frame. So, it is important that we never judge. If the abandoning parent has to live with his or her choice for the next forever, then it is possible that he or she will punish themselves enough. It's all about grace... it is our responsibility to extend it to even those that we may think are outside the bounds of that grace.

you rock the boat

Seems they have found the mother. Seventeen years old...old enough to know what to do...and she had stated that she left the baby where she left her, because she lived in the neighborhood and had watched things, and knew these people were home during the day....sounds to me as if she had the entire thing planned out

I am sorry to hear that,LMAO.

The good news is that the baby survived and with any luck will end up in the custody and care of loving, rational people.

As for the mother, she should be given a tubal ligation with an arc welder.