Wheaton man finds abandoned baby; mother may be charged
Joe Logan was outside getting the newspaper Friday morning when the Wheaton man heard what he describes as "a little whimper, a tiny whimper."
His dog, Redbelly, also heard the noise coming from an area under a tall tree near the driveway. She started barking uncontrollably in the fenced backyard.
Upon investigating, Logan discovered an abandoned baby boy lying naked on the ground, part of his umbilical cord still attached.
"He looked like a newborn," Logan said. "He was very dirty - tons of dirt, tons of twigs and leaves around him. It was overwhelming. There's not much more you can say."
On Friday night, the infant that Logan found was recovering at an area hospital. And authorities were trying to determine whether felony charges will be filed against a 24-year-old woman they believe is the mother.
After the baby was found about 7:45 a.m. on the 800 block of East Michigan Street, Wheaton police spent the rest of the morning canvassing the area.
By noon, Wheaton Deputy Chief Tom Meloni announced that police believe they had identified the mother. He said she was receiving medical treatment at a hospital and was being interviewed by detectives.
DuPage State's Attorney Joseph Birkett said Friday he is considering charging the mother criminally. His prosecutors immediately filed a civil neglect petition in juvenile court to place the child in protective custody. The mother is expected to remain in the hospital through the weekend, Birkett said, and once she is released she expected to be taken into police custody.
Police did not name the woman, believed to be from Burma. She resides in the same neighborhood where the baby was found.
The infant apparently was outside for at least two hours before Logan discovered him, police said.
Logan said his wife wrapped the baby in a towel and he called 911. Paramedics treated the newborn at the scene before taking him to Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield.
Logan, a father of two young children, said he's thankful that he was able to find the infant.
"I wish I would have been there immediately," he said. "Thank God the baby is OK."
On Friday afternoon, the boy's condition was upgraded from critical to serious - and his condition continues to improve, authorities said.
"Hopefully, he will thrive," Meloni said.
Once the baby can leave the hospital, he will be placed in foster care by the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services.
A DCFS spokesman said the department is investigating an allegation of neglect in the case. He said the department has had no prior contact with the woman.
Meanwhile, residents say they were shocked to learn a baby was abandoned in their normally nice and quiet neighborhood.
"My reaction is the same as probably anybody's," said Micheal Scalzo, who lives in a nearby apartment building. "This is Wheaton. You hear about things like this happening somewhere else - but not here. This is mind-blowing. I just don't understand it."
Meloni said there hasn't been an abandoned baby in Wheaton in the 17 years he's been with the police department.
"I believe this is a first for us," he said. "But things like this do happen in our society, unfortunately."
• Daily Herald staff writer Christy Gutowski contributed to this report.
Whimper: Baby in hospital, will be placed in foster care
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