‘Nothing Short Of Divine Intervention’: Watch The Moment Deputy Finds Baby Left For Dead In The Woods In A Plastic Bag
"This child was not left to be found," Forsyth County Sheriff Ron Freeman said of the rescue of the newborn, now named India.
A cry in the woods led to the dramatic rescue of a baby who had been shoved into a plastic bag and left for dead.
The moment was captured on body cam footage recently released by the Forsyth County Sheriff’s Office as investigators continue to search for information about how the newborn baby, now named India, ended up alone and abandoned in the Georgia woods.
"This child was not left to be found," Sheriff Ron Freeman told local station WAGA-TV. "It's nothing short of divine intervention.”
In the footage, a man can be heard telling deputies that his children heard the young baby’s cries.
“We heard it from our house. My kids said ‘It’s a baby,’ I said ‘It’s an animal,’” the man said.
But his children eventually convinced him to go out and check the woods around 10 p.m. on June 6 and they discovered the plastic bag with the infant inside.
The video footage then shows deputy Terry Roper tearing the remainder of the plastic bag open to reveal the newborn baby girl.
“Oh, look at you sweetheart,” he said. “Oh, I am so sorry. I am so sorry.”
Responders note that the baby is breathing and crying as they take her out of the bag and wrap her up in camo-colored fabric.
“Look how precious you are,” Roper tells the child.
(Warning: The video below may be disturbing)
Authorities said the child is now “thriving” and in the custody of Georgia Department of Family and Children’s Services.
Investigators are still searching for the baby’s mother and are asking anyone with information to come forward.
“We release this footage in hopes to receive credible information on the identity of Baby India and to show how important it is to find closure in this case,” a statement from the sheriff’s office said.
Once the baby’s mother is identified, investigators will determine whether charges will be filed in the case. Under a Georgia state Safe Haven law, mothers are able to leave babies up to 30 days old with employees of any hospital, institutional infirmary, health center, fire station or police station without prosecution.