Paramedic recounts saving newborn left on doorstep

BAKER - The paramedic who responded to the initial call of a newborn baby left on a doorstep says he's never encountered anything like this in his 25 years of service.

"It was alarming," said Kendall Washington, a paramedic for Baton Rouge EMS.

The call came in Sunday morning. According to the Baker Police Department, a 13-year-old gave birth and dropped the baby off on her neighbor's doorstep.

Washington and his partner were among the first to arrive. He says the baby's core was warm but his extremities were discolored.

According to police, the young girl did not know she was pregnant until she gave birth around five o'clock that morning. Shocked, the girl tried to hide the pregnancy by cleaning up blood and dropping the child off to a teacher she knew nearby.

Police said the girl – who was not identified – birthed the child herself then “tried her best to clean it up.”

“She didn't have a clue about what to do with the child, so she thought about the school teacher,” Dunn said.

The parents had no clue their child was pregnant, police said.

"It was alarming, because I have kids of my own," Washington said. "And my real concern was what kind of condition is he gonna be in."

The baby was taken to the hospital and sources say he is okay.

"[I hope] he gets an opportunity to do great things, even though his life didn't start out the best," Washington said.

Because of child privacy laws, officials cannot confirm whether the baby is in their custody or back with his family.

Authorities said they are still investigating the incident but it appears the father is also a 13-year-old.