OCALA, Fla. — A newborn baby was abandoned in a Marion County rest stop bathroom early Saturday, according to the sheriff’s office.
Deputies said they found the baby boy in the woman’s restroom at 114000 SW Southbound Interstate 75 around 3:14 a.m.
The infant was transported to a local hospital and is currently in stable condition.
Detectives are seeking information on the abandonment of the newborn baby.
Florida enacted a “Safe Haven” law in 2000 in an effort to eliminate tragedies resulting from the abandonment of newborns.
The law allows parents to leave their unharmed newborn babies, who are not more than one-week old, with an employee at any hospital.
The sheriff’s office urges anyone with information to contact detective Billy Burleson at 352-368-3542 or Crime Stoppers of Marion County at 352-368-STOP
This is not the first newborn to be abandoned in Central Florida this year. In October, a child was abandoned in Orlando at the Willow Key apartments on South Kirkman Road near LB McLeod Road, police spokeswoman Michelle Guido said.
Cox Media Group
