'You Need To Turn Yourself In': Advocate's Message To Mother Who Left Dead Infant At Irving Applebee's
IRVING (CBSDFW.COM) — Irving police are trying to find the woman who they say gave birth at a nearby Applebee's and left her newborn in the restroom trash.
Police said 30 minutes after the mother left, employees cleaning the restroom found the dead infant.
Patsy Summey of Baby Moses Dallas has been advocating for babies born into tough situations for 20 years, and she said this was another outcome that could've been prevented.
"Maybe she thought the baby was born dead," Summey said. "This was not the right thing to do."
Since 1999, Texas' Safe-haven law has allowed mothers to voluntarily surrender a baby that's less than 60 days old over at a hospital or fire station without facing charges. Also called the "baby Moses" law, it allows anyone in Texas to leave a newborn at an approved place — no questions asked.
"What we would hope is that this child did not die in vain," Summey said. "That more people will know about the law and become involved. This is something people can help with. To tell them there's a law that allows them to give up a baby."
The restaurant was even in close proximity to a couple places that are "safe baby sites."
"I was pretty shocked because we haven't had anything like that happen recently," Summey said. "I think we're getting complacent letting everyone know about this law."
So she is now asking the community to help spread the word, and she has a personal message for the mother who did this.
"You need to turn yourself in and face whatever you have to face, because this is not going to go away just because you get away with it," Summey said.
Police still ask anyone with information to contact the department.