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A newborn's cries may have saved her life. The baby, who was just about an hour old, was discovered stuffed in a trash bag and left in an old dryer in southwest Houston, Texas on Tuesday.
Rachid Benamir found the girl at about 3 p.m. "I didn't expect it's a baby," he said. "I thought it's like a newborn dog or cat, but then I saw a baby. It's something you don't see every day."
The baby's umbilical cord was still attached. Benamir and his roommate pulled the baby out of the trash bag and called 911. "I can't stress enough if it wasn't for the people finding her when they did, we may have had a lot worse ending than we do right now," Houston police Sgt. Colin Howard said.
Police said they don't know of any witnesses. No one remembered seeing a pregnant woman around the apartment complex. A bloodhound was brought out to search, but wasn't able to pick up a scent. "There's so much of this we don't know," Howard said.
Investigators said the baby is safe, but they are worried about her mother. "This is a good neighborhood," resident Mike Evans said. "Something like this brings it home to you."
The baby weighed six pounds 12 ounces. She was taken to Texas Children's Hospital. The hospital's staff is calling her "Mia."
Texas has a "Baby Moses" law to protect infants who are not wanted or whose parents cannot care for them. The law gives parents the option to leave a child under 60 days old at a safe place, such as a hospital or fire station.
