Custody of abandoned Wheaton baby at issue

An abandoned Wheaton infant nicknamed "Joshua" will remain in state protective custody until the interest of the child's father is determined, a judge ruled Tuesday.

DuPage Associate Judge Thomas Riggs set a June 23 shelter care hearing to work out custody of the newborn, discovered abandoned last week covered in dirt under a bush in Wheaton.

His mother, Nunu Sung, a 24-year-old native of Myanmar, is charged with two counts of obstructing justice and misdemeanor endangering the life of a child.

Prosecutors accused her of abandoning the infant after Sung gave birth early Friday outside her Crescent Street apartment. A neighbor called 911 after discovering the nude baby, his umbilical cord still attached.

Authorities said Sung, who never received prenatal care, hid her pregnancy from relatives after moving to Wheaton from Texas in February. Sung later said she felt no "emotional connection" to the infant, prosecutors said.

She faces up to three years in prison if convicted and remains in DuPage County jail on a $100,000 bond.

On Tuesday, Assistant State's Attorney Augusta Clarke said authorities informed the child's father of the birth and state law requires he be given 10-day notice of such court hearings.

Riggs set next week's hearing date. He also ordered the infant to remain in the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services' custody and named an independent court-appointed guardian.

The baby was listed Tuesday in fair condition at Central DuPage Hospital in Winfield, where staff has fielded several public inquiries to adopt him. A hospital spokeswoman said state privacy laws bar her from making public further details about the child, but authorities involved in the criminal investigation said some of the hospital staff has nicknamed the baby "Joshua."

As for the father, authorities haven't released any details about whether he is interested in raising the boy. They said Nunu Sung, who is single and does not have other children, became pregnant while living in Texas.

She was in court Tuesday. Speaking through a Burmese interpreter, Sung answered a few perfunctory questions but otherwise remained silent during the brief court hearing. She clutched tissue and appeared nervous before deputies escorted the shackled woman back to her jail cell.

Prosecutors also are seeking her mental evaluation.