Police seeking parents of baby girl abandoned in Jerusalem

2-day-old left on doorstep with umbilical cord still attached.

By DANIEL K. EISENBUD
Doctor mother and baby 370 (photo credit: Courtesy Kaplan Medical Center)
Doctor mother and baby 370
(photo credit: Courtesy Kaplan Medical Center)
Police are searching for the parents of the two-day-old baby girl abandoned in east Jerusalem early Saturday evening on the doorstep of a home off Hanevi’im Street, near Damascus Gate, on the outskirts of the Old City.
According to police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld, the newborn, who was left on the doorstep for one to two hours before being found at 6 in the afternoon, is in good health and is being cared for at Hadassah University Medical Center on Jerusalem’s Mount Scopus, following a series of tests.
“The people who found the baby handed it over as quickly as possible,” Rosenfeld said Sunday. “We’re lucky they found her during daylight – if it was night, she may have been left out there far longer.”
Rosenfeld said the note attached to the newborn, who was dressed in a pink jumpsuit and diapers – her umbilical cord still attached – was written in Arabic, stating, “This is my baby Usama. Take care of her.”
One of the MDA paramedics who treated the baby, and requested anonymity, said that the family that found the infant cared for her until paramedics arrived on the scene to examine the infant and administer initial tests.
“I’ve seen many shocking cases, but it’s indescribable holding a two-day-old crying baby and not knowing who she belongs to,” the paramedic told area media.
Rosenfeld added that police are conducting interviews with neighbors and residents living in the area to resolve who the baby’s parents are.
“At the moment we’re following a number of leads in an active investigation to determine who the parents are and the circumstances behind this,” said Rosenfeld. “We hope to find the answer shortly.”
If the parents cannot be found, the newborn will be turned over to the child welfare authorities.