Jacksonville police release photo, 911 call connected to discovery of live newborn

[Elish Delaproser]

A man who identified himself only as "Mr. Smith" reported the baby girl was in a trash can


This image, released by the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, is of the man who placed the 911 call reporting the incident.


Jacksonville police this morning released the photo of a man they said made a 911 call Tuesday reporting that a live baby girl had been left in a trash can at a Beach Boulevard shopping center.
An audio recording of the call also was released as police asked for the person, who only identified himself as "Mr. Smith," or anyone who knows him to come forward.
The baby girl is in good condition at a local hospital, said Lt. Robert Schnoover of the Sheriff's Office.
The baby was found in a tipped-over green trash can about 4 a.m. at 9819 Beach Blvd. outside the Greater Works Christian Ministries. She was wrapped in a red blanket and covered in blood and afterbirth, with the umbilical cord still attached.
The 911 caller said a woman had put a baby outside that spot. His picture was taken by a surveillance camera.
Authorities urged anyone with thoughts of abandoning their baby to use the Safe Haven law, which allows babies up to 7 days old to be dropped off anonymously at any fire station or hospital emergency room. For more information about the program, go to www.asafehavenfornewborns.com/aboutus.htm.
Two years ago in July a newborn girl also was discovered in a trash bin at Beachwood Apartments trash bin, the first incident of a Jacksonville baby being abandoned in an unsafe place since the law went into effect in July 2000. That child, later known as Baby Grace, survived and was adopted.
Anyone with information can contact the Sheriff’s Office at [phone] or First Coast Crime Stoppers at [phone] (845-TIPS) to remain anonymous and be eligible for rewards. Or e-mail [e-mail] or [e-mail].