A newborn left near an Indianapolis trail was found alive Friday night, but police were racing to find the baby’s mother over fears she may need urgent medical help.
The child was discovered near the tree line of a trail in the area of Lace Bark Lane and Long Wharf Drive after reports came in about an abandoned baby, the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department indicated.
Doctors later evaluated the newborn at a local hospital, where the baby was reported to be in stable condition.
For investigators, the case quickly became a search for two lives, not one.
“Detectives are deeply concerned for the mother, who may need urgent medical attention. We want to ensure she is safe and receives care,” the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department announced Saturday on X.
The mother, who was discovered to be a 16-year-old, was found this weekend. Police also located a man they believe to be the father and arrested him on charges of sexual misconduct with a minor.
Hernsley Pierre denied fathering the child, or knowing that the teenager was pregnant, but the young mother said neither she or Pierre were aware that she was carrying a child.
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Police said that they “are still working to determine the full circumstances surrounding this incident.”
The department also used the case to remind the public that Indiana gives people a legal way to surrender an infant safely and anonymously.
“This situation is a difficult reminder of the challenges many mothers and families face. IMPD encourages anyone in need to reach out for help and use available community resources,” the department wrote.
“Indiana’s Safe Haven Law allows a person to safely and anonymously surrender an unwanted infant without fear of arrest or prosecution.”
Indiana gives parents a 60-day window after birth to legally surrender an unharmed infant, with approved locations including hospitals, fire stations, police stations and Safe Haven Baby Boxes.
The circumstances in Indianapolis drew a pointed response from Monica Kelsey, the CEO and founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, who stressed that the state already has options designed for desperate parents and unwanted infants.
“Any time a child is abandoned illegally, we have to look at, have we done enough in this state?” Kelsey said.
Kelsey said some parents are afraid of being judged or shamed if they have to hand over a baby face to face.
“That’s why Safe Haven Baby Boxes exist is to take the anonymity piece to the next level where a parent can walk up to a baby box, place their infant inside and turn around and walk away, no questions asked.”
The boxes are built for exactly that moment, giving parents a way to leave a newborn safely without speaking to anyone.
A July stretch showed how often the system can be used in a matter of days, with officials recording three newborn surrenders tied to Safe Haven Baby Boxes in a single week.
The Woodlands Fire Department in Texas handled one of those cases after an infant was left anonymously in its box. Fire department employees followed protocol, and the child was brought to a hospital for evaluation.
Woodlands Fire Department Chief Palmer Buck said the Texas surrender showed what the system is supposed to do.
“This Safe Haven Baby Box exists for moments exactly like this,” Buck said.
“Today, a baby is safe because someone chose a secure and legal option during what was undoubtedly a difficult situation,” Buck said, adding that the baby was receiving care after the system “worked as intended.”
The child’s arrival also left firefighters reluctant to stop comforting the newborn.
“The most difficult thing… was convincing the firefighters that they had given the baby enough hugs,” Buck added.
Kelsey later told The Daily Mail that two additional babies had been surrendered through the program, but the fire departments connected to those cases had chosen not to announce them yet.
“Some fire departments choose to share the news right away, while others prefer to wait days or even weeks before making an announcement,” Kelsey said.
“At this time, the other two locations have not yet made their announcements, and we respect their timeline and decision-making process,” she added.
The Indianapolis baby survived. In Florida, investigators say another infant case ended in a presumed death and criminal charges.
In that case, Leon Alejandro Jr., 21, and Samantha Feliz, 20, of Hollywood, Florida, are accused after a yearlong investigation into their missing infant. Authorities caught up with them Wednesday in Rockingham, North Carolina.
After the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Marshals Service found the couple, fugitive of justice warrants landed both suspects in the Richmond County Jail, where they are being held without bond pending extradition to Florida.
Hollywood police opened the case in early 2025 after investigators learned Feliz allegedly gave birth sometime between Dec. 6, 2024, and Jan. 5, 2025, the Richmond County Sheriff’s Office indicated.
Investigators believe the baby was not delivered in a hospital, and the birth was allegedly hidden.
Relatives saw Alejandro and Feliz with the baby during the infant’s first month, authorities alleged. The child then disappeared from view.
The child is identified only as A.F. in an arrest warrant obtained by WPLG, which described a Jan. 5, 2025, photo as the last known image.
In that photo, detectives wrote, the infant appeared “visibly ill and malnourished” and showed “no signs of life.”
Cadaver dogs were later brought into the investigation at multiple search locations, but the warrant cited by WPLG says the baby’s remains were not found.
Investigators allege Alejandro and Feliz repeatedly tried to erase the child’s existence from the story they told others. Relatives were allegedly told the baby “was a prank,” and the pregnancy was later described as a “hoax” meant to scam family members out of money, the warrant cited by WPLG states.
Investigators said that story did not match the evidence they found, including photos showing Feliz visibly pregnant and text messages about the pregnancy and baby.
From a storage unit linked to the couple, detectives reportedly seized baby clothing, a positive pregnancy test and towels that appeared to be stained with blood.
The warrant states that later DNA testing connected blood on the towels and clothing to a biological child of Alejandro and Feliz.
Investigators said the missing paperwork did not stop them from building the case.
The counts against Alejandro and Feliz include aggravated manslaughter of a child, tampering with or fabricating physical evidence, failure to report a death to the medical examiner, providing false information concerning a missing child and making false reports to law enforcement.
Investigators eventually found the couple on Richmond County property connected to one of Alejandro’s relatives, after authorities alleged they had left Florida.
Richmond County Sheriff Mark Gulledge credited the arrests to agencies working together across state lines.
“This is a prime example of agencies nationwide collaborating to uphold justice,” Gulledge said in a statement.
Investigators have not publicly detailed what they believe happened to A.F.
