ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Florida woman who found a newborn on the doorstep of her Orange County apartment is describing the moment she saw him.
TRENDING NOW:
- Police investigating after 2 bodies found in Wilkinsburg
- Woman stops to help homeless, pregnant teen crying on side of road
- 'SNL': Woody Harrelson, Larry David, Maya Rudolph join host Will Ferrell in Democratic debate parody
- VIDEO: Several burglaries reported at off-campus housing in Oakland over last few weeks
- DOWNLOAD the Channel 11 News app for breaking news alerts
Aireal Piner said she found the baby around 1 p.m. Saturday at the Bella Vista place Apartments off Silverstar Road near Hiawassee.
"The baby was so cold, just shivering," Piner said. "Like, I just wanted to hold that baby so tight."
Piner said the baby was found naked and lying in a shoebox.
“That baby was so tiny. Maybe just this long. Just shivering in that shoebox," Piner said. “No clothes on. No shoes. Naked.”
At the foot of Piner's front door lay a one-day-old baby. He was crying for help.
“I'm like, ‘What is that noise?’ I hear the officer knock on the door. He's like, ‘Does this baby belong to you?’ I'm like, ‘No,'” Piner said.
One of her neighbors called 911, after she came outside her home when she heard the crying, looked across the hall and saw a little foot poke out of the box.
“I was very emotional. I didn't know what to do,” Piner said. “I don't even know why. Why my doors out of all the doors?”
There was a note in the shoebox asking if someone could take care of the baby, but Piner said she couldn't read the entire note.
Deputies told her she wasn’t allowed to touch anything because it’s all evidence that will hopefully lead investigators to the baby's parents.
“I want them caught. That's just heartbreaking,” she said.
The baby is in good condition; he was transported to AdventHealth South Orange for further evaluation, firefighters said.
No arrests have been made in the case.
Officials said under Florida's Safe Haven Law, anyone can bring an unwanted newborn to any hospital or fire station with no questions asked and without facing criminal charges.
At 1 pm, deputies responded to 2814 Silkwood Circle, Bella Vista Place Apartments, for the report of an abandoned newborn. The baby was transported to the hospital in good condition and our investigation is ongoing. pic.twitter.com/4gfFBfpaGu
— Orange County Sheriff's Office (@OrangeCoSheriff) November 23, 2019
Cox Media Group