A 17-year-old mother who disappeared after dropping off her 8-month-old baby girl this morning at an Apopka fire station is under investigation by the Orange County Sheriff's Office.
Firefighters at Orange County Fire Rescue Station 27 said the woman, whose name was not released, dropped the baby girl off at the station at 4:22 a.m. saying she could no longer care for her because she was now homeless.
Florida's Safe Haven law allows a parent to leave their child at a hospital, fire station or emergency medical station, remain anonymous and not face a criminal investigation for abandonment if the child is three days old or less and there are no signs of actual or suspected abuse.
Babies who meet the law's standards are transferred to a hospital for a medical evaluation and then placed in an adoption agency where adoption officials find parents already on a waiting list.
Orange County Fire Rescue spokesman John Mulhall said this morning's incident didn't meet those criteria.
"We had to get the sheriff's office involved because the baby's age doesn't fall under the Safe Haven law," Mulhall said.
The mother provided firefighters with food and diapers before leaving the station.
On-duty crews performed a quick medical evaluation and transported the child to Florida Hospital Apopka before turning the baby girl over to the state Department of Children and Families.
The child was in good health and dressed in clean clothing, firefighters said.
"She felt this was her only option," said Orange County Sheriff's Office commander Jeff Stonebreaker.
The Gloria M. Silverio Foundation keeps information on children abandoned at safe and unsafe places across the state. Their records indicate that 79 children have been left by their parents at fire stations, hospitals and other permitted locations since Florida enacted the Safe Haven law in 2000.
Orange and Duval counties rank third in the state with a total of 7 children dropped off in safe locations in each of those counties, according to foundation.
However, a total of 4 children have been left in unsafe locations in Orange County - the highest in Central Florida.
"I think the mother did the right thing by not abandoning the baby in a hazardous place like a canal or a dumpster, but I can see why the authorities want to speak with her," said Nick Silverio, the leader of the foundation. "Hopefully the police will see if that mother is at risk."
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