Oregon utility worker’s sharp hearing leads police to missing newborn

PORTLAND, Ore. — A newborn boy reported missing from a Portland area hospital earlier this week was located safe on Thursday, officials with the Oregon Department of Human Services confirmed.

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Kanon Zee went missing from the medical facility on Monday, along with his mother, Kara Zee, and father, Jonathan Darian, KPTV reported.

According to KATU, a Portland General Electric employee recognized a truck parked at a vacant home from an alert issued the day before. Then, he heard a baby cry and called police.

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A news release issued Thursday by the Oregon Department of Human Services stated only that Kanon had been found and that the department appreciated the community’s support in locating the newborn. Department officials declined to provide further details about the case or answer questions about the infant’s condition, citing federal child privacy laws, KGW reported.

Portland Police Officer Jordan Zaitz, who investigated the PGE employee’s call, found the child and said that the family had been staying inside a trailer near where the good Samaritan spotted the truck, KATU reported.

Zaitz also confirmed to the TV station that Kanon was born addicted to fentanyl and there was concern he wasn’t getting the proper care. After speaking with the child’s parents, Zaitz said the newborn was transported to an area hospital for evaluation.

“One of the joys of this job is getting to see happy endings,” Zaitz told KATU, adding, “In the long run, I hope his parents get him the care that he needs, and they’re able to give him a good life. At the very least, he’s in a hospital getting the proper care that he needs.”

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