Woman faces charges after baby abandoned in bushes outside Calgary home
3-month-old baby located in freezing weather near Capitol Hill house
A woman is facing charges ofchild abandonment and failing to provide the necessaries of life after a three-month-old baby was found in bushes outside a northwest Calgary home Tuesday morning as the temperature hovered around 15 C.
Police were called at about 2:30 a.m. from a home in the 2500 block of 16A Street in Capitol Hill.
The caller reported a woman was at the door holding a baby, police say.
When officers arrived, they located thewoman, but say she didn't have a baby with her.
A search was launched and ababy boy was found abandoned nearby. Emergency services initially said the baby was four months old, but police later said he isthree months.
The baby was taken to hospital suffering from mild hypothermia and other exposure-related concerns, said EMS spokesperson StuartBrideaux.
Baby located in snowbank under tree
Police arrested a woman they sayis the baby's mother.
Acting Staff Sgt. David McMath said police believe the woman may have been under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
"The child was located under a tree in a snowbank," he said.
"Given the temperature last night, it could have been a much more dangerous situation than it turned out to be. The child was being carried in her arms. There was no carrier and the child was not dressed for the conditions."
Initial fears that 2 children were abandoned
Police said in a release the woman mentioned another child, leading investigators to believe she may have abandoned another onenearby.
They said they immediately conductedan extensive search and later confirmed she only had one child.
Hewas placed in the custody of Child and Family Services.
Other'failing to provide the necessaries' cases
Although unusual in everyday parlance, the word "necessaries" not"necessities" is theterm the legal system uses and is, in fact, an actual noun.
It's not the only recent case of an Alberta parent being charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life.
Among them,Calgary mother Tamara Lovett was convicted in Januaryof failing to provide the necessaries of life and negligence causing death in relation to the fatal illness of her seven-year-old son.
Ryan Lovettdied from a Group A strep infection in 2013. Lovetttestified during the trial that she gave herson holistic remedies for what she believed was a cold or flu before his death.
The Lovett caseraisedechoes of that of Ezekiel Stephan, a 19-month-old from southern Alberta who died of bacterial meningitis that his parents had been treating withremedies that included hot peppers, garlic, onions and horseradish.
DavidStephanand his wifeCollet were convicted by aLethbridgejury in April 2016 after their trial was told they used naturopathic remedies rather than seeking medical treatment for the boy, Ezekiel.
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