Abandoned baby may be as old as three weeks

A baby girl found abandoned in a Chesterfield County neighborhood Monday may be as old as three weeks and could have been delivered at a medical facility, authorities disclosed yesterday.

After consulting with medical professionals, police and socialservices officials revised their estimation of the girl's age, which was initially listed at 36 hours or less.

"There's no precise way to know something like that," said Dr. Suzanne Fountain, assistant director of the Chesterfield Department of Social Services.

Because the child had been well-cared-for before being abandoned, authorities now suspect that she had been delivered at a hospital or other medical facility, said Chesterfield police Sgt. Ed Wessel. Initial reports that the girl's umbilical cord was still attached were not accurate, Wessel added.

The still-unidentified child has been released from CJW Medical Center (Chippenham) and continues to do well, police said. She was placed in the custody of the Chesterfield Department of Social Services "and is being loved and cared for at an undisclosed foster home," police spokeswoman Ann Reid said.

Police yesterday released photos of the girl and provided additional information about her case, hoping to generate tips about the identity of the child and her parents.

"Social-services confidentiality provisions basically dictate that we keep all information about the children of families we serve completely confidential," Fountain said. "But what we've decided to do in this situation is share the status of this child in hopes that we can help locate her family and identify her."

The infant was found in a Ukrop's shopping bag about 4 p.m. Monday at a school bus stop in the 700 block of Vickilee Court, near Courthouse and Reams roads. Several neighborhood mothers made the discovery after a dog sniffed the bag and the girl began to cry, police said. The child was wrapped in several small blankets and a woman's white skirt.

The same paper bag had been seen in the neighborhood about 6:45 a.m. that same day, but no one noticed or heard anything unusual then. The bag was placed in a yard near a mailbox in front of a home.

Fountain yesterday made a personal appeal for the girl's mother or other family members to come forward.

"This baby needs information that only they possess," Fountain said. "I want them to understand that they're still in a position to help this baby have a better start in life. The child is going to have a lifelong need for family history and family medical information for her health and well-being."

The child still needs to know about her birth parents even if they won't be the ones raising her, Fountain added.

It was quite obvious, Fountain said, that the baby had initially been well-cared-for and that the infant was intentionally left in a place where she would be found quickly. "So that tells me that there was concern there," she said.

Aside from a child's need to know about her family's medical background, Fountain said, "we know from experience that that baby will always want to know about the mother who gave birth to her and about her birth family."

"And when she's old enough, we want to be able to help her know more than just the circumstances of her appearance in our community," Fountain said.

Anyone with information about the girl or her mother can call Chesterfield police at 748-1251 or Crime Stoppers at 748-0660.

Contact Mark Bowes at (804) 649-6450 or .