Mother of baby abandoned in Danbury found

Danbury Police are searching for the mother of an abandoned baby found behind Zaytuna Grocery Store at 397 Main Street in Danbury this weekend. The was found in the back of the store amid the air conditioning units near the store's rear door. Photo Wednesday, May 24, 2017. less Danbury Police are searching for the mother of an abandoned baby found behind Zaytuna Grocery Store at 397 Main Street in Danbury this weekend. The was found in the back of the store amid the air conditioning ... more Photo: Carol Kaliff / Hearst Connecticut Media Photo: Carol Kaliff / Hearst Connecticut Media Image 1 of / 15 Caption Close Mother of baby abandoned in Danbury found 1 / 15 Back to Gallery

DANBURY - A woman in her early 20s came forward Friday as the mother of a newborn boy abandoned behind a downtown grocery store last weekend.

Police said the woman, who they did not identify, walked into the police station early Friday and announced that she was the mother of the child, who was found Sunday hours after his birth, with the umbilical cord still attached.

The woman, who police had feared might herself be the victim of a crime, was brought to Danbury Hospital for treatment, police said. More information on her condition was not available, but authorities said the baby is well and is also being cared for at the hospital.

The baby was found wrapped in women’s clothing about 11:30 p.m. Sunday in some bushes behind the Zaytuna Grocery on the north end of Main Street. Authorities said the baby was cold and crying, but otherwise in good health. Emergency officials had to clamp the umbilical cord.

On Thursday, police had released photographs of the clothing, including a worn pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt bearing the name of a Spanish-speaking Christian rock band, in hopes of finding the mother.

Authorities said the case is still under investigation. Whether the woman will face abandonment charges has yet to be determined.

“The investigation is still ongoing and we need to determine if there were any other mitigating factors,” Chief Patrick Ridenhour said Friday. “At this point we are just happy that the baby is okay and that we know who the mother is and she’s safe.”

Ridenhour added that a final decision on potential charges would be made by the state’s attorney.

News of the case prompted state lawmakers this week to revive a proposal that calls for the Safe Haven laws to be taught in high schools as part of the health curriculum. The law allows parents of an unwanted child to drop the baby off at a hospital with no questions asked.

An earlier version of the proposal had stalled, but lawmakers said this week they are determined to pass the measure before the present session ends.

Mehgan Martins, associate principal of instruction at Danbury High School, said the district has decided not to wait for the proposal to become law and has already decided to include a discussion about the Safe Haven law in health classes, which are typically taken in freshman or sophomore years.

Martins noted that the high school also offers a parenting class to expecting mothers, as well as to the fathers if they attend the high school, and that the Safe Haven law is discussed in the class. Teachers will also attempt to connect young mothers to any needed services in the community.

The school is required to keep details of a student’s medical condition private, she said, but staff members encourage students to tell parents about a pregnancy if they haven’t already. If there is a potential risk to the student, however, educators have to inform the authorities.

“We have to respect and maintain the student’s confidentiality, but we also have to balance that with a duty to report if the student is in immediate danger,” Martins said. “It’s a very precarious balance and specific to each situation.

“We encourage students to be open with their families, but that advice is not always heeded,” she added. “Our job is to make sure the student has the knowledge, tools and resources they need.”

Students, particularly those from immigrant families, are sometimes reluctant to tell their families because of different cultural expectations about what is acceptable, Martins said.

"It's like someone whose grown up knowing the rules of baseball but suddenly you’re thrown onto a basketball court," she said. ”The rules don’t always transfer. The same can be said for different cultural expectations.”

Former city resident Panna Krom, who was convicted of manslaughter charges in 2008 for killing her newborn baby, said during her clemency hearing last year that she was afraid to tell her parents - Cambodian refugees - about the pregnancy because she feared they wouldn't approve.

Her parents, however, cried tears of joy in September when Krom was granted clemency by the state parole board after serving about eight years of an 18-year prison sentence. Her attorney argued at the time that other mothers in similar circumstances in the state had received much lower prison sentences.

Krom, who was 16 when she became pregnant, said she wasn’t aware of the state’s Safe Haven laws at the time. Since her release from prison last year, she has vowed to share her story and information about the Safe Haven laws to young mothers.

dperrefort@newstimes.com