Horrified couple find abandoned newborn on the ground with umbilical cord attached
A Texas couple were left horrified after finding an abandoned newborn on the ground with the umbilical still attached.
Daniela Fedele was walking along Casa Martin Drive in Katy, Texas on Saturday morning (June 15) with her husband when they noticed a towel on the ground.
While the couple didn't think anything of it at first, concerns were heightened when Fedele's three-year-old daughter rode her bike towards it.
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This is when she noticed something was moving underneath the towel.
Recalling the situation to KHOU, Fedele said: "I noticed two little feet moving and then my husband was right behind me with the dogs and I yelled to my husband and I'm like, 'Oh my God, a baby, a baby'.
"And then my husband [said] like, 'Call 911, call 911', and that's what we did."
Thankfully, CCTV footage has provided more details on the incident, showing the exact moment the newborn baby was abandoned.
It shows a man scan around him before leaving the baby on the ground - he then sprints away from the scene.
Police and local officials have now started an investigation in an attempt to find the man.
Harris County Sheriff's deputies say they received at call at around 9.00am local time and rushed to the scene.
Before that though, the Texas couple kept the infant safe - and their actions in the aftermath have been praised by police.
CCTV footage shows the couple running towards the baby with their dogs, with Fedele's husband grabbing the infant and rushing them out of the sun.
"Once my husband went ahead and picked up the baby, he found the nearest, like tree, right there at the house down the street. He found a little shade," Fedele said.
They held on to the baby girl until deputies from the Harris County Sheriff's Office arrived on the scene.
They told officials they saw a man running away from the scene. It remains unclear how long the baby was left on the street for.
The baby girl was transported to hospital after being handed to police, with KHOU reporting she in a good condition.
Sgt. Juan Garcia, who works in the Child Abuse Unit, said: "The two witnesses that were thankfully walking on the trail with their daughter and their dogs were a blessing.
"The baby was a newborn... still had, you know, fresh placenta on the baby, so it was freshly born this morning."
Callum Jones