Abandoned baby's cries likely saved her life

Even after the recyclable grocery bag was brought into a Schaumburg church from its parking lot Sunday afternoon, it wasn't until the sounds of an infant crying came from it half an hour later that congregation members realized what they'd found: a live and healthy newborn baby girl.

Bob Song of Lake Zurich, a church elder at Gospel Presbyterian Church, still shudders at the thought of what might have happened had he not searched the bag when he heard crying.

“If the baby hadn't cried, if no one had heard the baby, I think we would have found the body on Tuesday morning.”

The 7-pound girl instead remained in good condition Monday at Alexian Brothers Medical Center in Elk Grove Village, more than 24 hours after police say she was abandoned on top of a car outside the church at 210 S. Plum Grove Road.

While police continue to search for her mother, the baby will remain under observation until Tuesday afternoon, when the Department of Children and Family Services will decide her next destination.

The baby and her teddy bear were completely wrapped up and obscured by a red bath towel inside the green bag when it was found in the church parking lot early Sunday afternoon.

A woman who found the bag brought it inside — completely unaware of its contents — and handed it to another church member. The bag then was set down on a table near the church's front door in hopes that the person who'd left it would find it easily.

About 30 minutes later the sounds of crying were heard from inside the bag, and it was Song who dug through the layers of towel and first set eyes on the little baby inside.

“The face was just so adorable,” Song said. “Her looking straight at me really touched my heart.”

Another member of the congregation cradled the baby while Song called 911. Some consideration was given to trying to feed the baby immediately, but the members of the Korean church didn't want to do anything that might accidentally make the situation worse.

Song believes the newborn's cries probably saved her life. Had she not been heard, church officials would have locked up the church Sunday and not returned until Tuesday morning, Song said.

Though the baby appears to be of Asian heritage, Song said he is confident her parents are not members of the close-knit congregation of some 200 people. He believes the person who left the child may simply have been reassured by the sight of a full parking lot Sunday afternoon, thinking that the baby would be found there quickly.

Although police are searching for the girl's mother, Schaumburg police Sgt. John Nebl stresses that charges are not a foregone conclusion. Authorities will take the whole situation into account once its learned, he said, adding that police want to be sure the mother is in good physical and mental condition and the baby wasn't abandoned against her will.

The state's Safe Haven law allows newborns to be left, no questions asked, at designated locations such as hospitals, police stations, fire stations and emergency care centers, but not church parking lots.

Nebl said it's not certain yet that the baby is 100 percent of Asian descent and that it's possible one parent is Caucasian.

Gospel Presbyterian is eager to see the child reunited with her parents, Song said. A sign posted in a church window encourages the mother, or person who abandoned the girl, to call the Schaumburg police department at (847) 882-3586.

If that doesn't work, church members have already discussed the possibility of finding someone willing to adopt the baby.

Nebl said the police department also is seeking the general public's help in finding the mother. They're asking whether anyone knows a woman who's gained some weight recently but was not at the places she normally is in the past week.

DCFS spokesman Jimmie Whitelow said the agency also is investigating and that the girl likely will be placed in foster care until more permanent arrangements are found.