Mother Reportedly Abandons Newborn at Disney Resort, Hands Her To Hotel Guest

Animal Kingdom Lodge
Deputies with the Orange County Sheriff's Office were called to Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge on Sunday after a woman reportedly abandoned her newborn baby with a guest. The baby was taken to Celebration Hospital in... Google Maps

A woman reportedly abandoned her newborn baby by handing the child to a guest at Walt Disney World's Animal Kingdom Lodge in Orlando, Florida, officials said.

The Orange County Sheriff's Office said it received a call to the resort in Lake Buena Vista around 2 a.m. on Sunday morning, according to WESH. The female guest reportedly walked into the hotel's lobby and told employees that she was handed the newborn baby while she was outside.

Reedy Creek Fire and Rescue Department took the baby to Celebration Hospital in good condition. The Florida Department of Children and Families was notified, WOFL reported.

The Department of Children and Families did not immediately respond to Newsweek's request for comment. However, a spokeswoman told WOFL, "The agency did receive a case and is actively assessing and working with the family. The child is safe and receiving medical care."

Florida's Safe Haven law allows a parent to leave a newborn baby at any fire station or hospital without questioned, according to WFTV.

More than 280 babies have been left at safe havens since 2000, according to A Safe Haven For Newborns. Another 61, including 34 dead babies, were abandoned in unsafe places, the Florida nonprofit.

According to the nonprofit, 15 babies were left in safe havens and 6 newborns were left in an unsafe location in Orange County. Miami-Dade county leads the rest of the state with 46 babies left at safe havens since 2000.

Officials were forced to issue a reminder about the state's Safe Haven law in 2017 after a baby was discovered at a rest stop in Marion County, WKMG-TV reported.

"A 'Safe Haven' law was enacted in Florida to eliminate the tragedies resulting in the abandonment of newborn babies," Marion County Sheriff's officials said at the time. "This law allows parents to leave their unharmed newborn babies, who are not more than one week old, with an employee at any hospital, emergency medical services station or with a firefighter at any fire station in Florida."

Deputies announced on Sunday night that the woman who abandoned the baby at the Disney resort was the child's mother. Police located the woman and interviewed her, according to WOFL. Deputies then transported the woman to a facility for evaluation and treatment.

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