Newborn found dead in ditch near Henry Road, lay there for hours before being found, Harris County Sheriff’s Office says
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — Investigators are still trying to determine who abandoned a newborn baby found dead Tuesday near the Hardy Toll Road in northern Harris County.
ABC13 learned more on Wednesday about the tragedy that appears to be becoming more common in the area. It is the sixth baby found abandoned in Harris County in two months, and investigators say it has become an “epidemic.”
SEE ALSO: Newborn found dead in back of garbage truck in northwest Harris County, HCSO says
A dead newborn boy was found Wednesday in the back of a garbage truck in Fountaincrest in northwest Harris County, the sheriff’s office said.
In this latest case, a lawn care crew found the newborn dead in a steep ditch, face down and wrapped in a blanket, on Henry Road, not far from Bush Airport, around 2 p.m.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the baby is African-American. However, officials do not know the baby’s exact age or whether it is a boy or a girl.
The HCSO believes the baby had been there for hours, not days. It remains unclear if the baby was still alive when it was left.
For a Houston woman who was abandoned as a baby 40 years ago, this story is particularly painful.
Leigha Curry was found behind Williams Middle School in northwest Houston in 1982. She told ABC13 that she was not angry about her mother’s decision, but wanted to raise awareness that some mothers in difficult situations need serious help.
READ MORE: Houston woman abandoned 40 years ago says bigger conversation needed after two babies found days apart
Leigha Curry was abandoned 40 years ago. After two babies were found within a few days, she is calling for a more comprehensive discussion.
“I can’t imagine how she feels, carrying that baby, feeling a bond and a connection, and then you walk away and then you hear on the news that the baby died,” Curry said. “That’s a trauma that (the mother) will have to live with for the rest of her life.”
Curry said she would like to see more education and conversations with young men and women about their options.
“Do we need churches? Do we need more hospitals? The YMCA? We need more places where they can take their babies when they feel unwell or feel like there is no way out,” she said.
In the next few days, the coroner should know more about the cause of the baby’s death, which could possibly lead investigators to the mother.
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