Authorities in Harris County, Texas, are searching for a man caught on video abandoning a newborn baby near a bayou. On June 15, security cameras recorded the incident, which took place on a walking trail on Casa Martin Drive. The baby, found wrapped in a towel with her umbilical cord still attached, was discovered around 9:00 a.m. by a family out for a morning walk.
Sgt. Juan Garcia from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office confirmed that the baby was just born. “The baby was a newborn,” Garcia said. “Still had fresh placenta on the baby. So, it was freshly born this morning.”
The security footage shows a man, described as either a young Hispanic or white individual with a fair complexion and black hair, leaving the baby on the trail. He was wearing a black shirt and what appeared to be gray pants.
The infant’s survival is credited to Daniela Fedele and her husband, Luis Marin, who were walking the trail and spotted the towel. “We were coming back from our walk this morning, heading home because it was hot,” Fedele recalled. “When I went ahead and looked closer, that’s when I noticed a little baby with her two feet moving.”
Luis Marin held the baby while Fedele called 911. “I hold it. The baby opens their eyes to me, looked at me,” Marin said. “We make eye contact. And I’m like, how can somebody just do this?”
Fedele reflected on the moment, saying, “We were just there by chance. I guess by God. God put us there, I guess.”
Paramedics quickly transported the baby to a hospital. Melissa Lanford, a spokesperson for the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, reported that the baby was released from a Houston hospital on Friday evening and has since been placed with a foster family.
Detectives are still searching for the man who abandoned the child. Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers of Houston at 713-222-TIPS (8477) or submit an anonymous tip online.
