Cops rescue newborn found clinging to life after death of mom days earlier
Officers in Phoenix have released harrowing bodycam footage of the moment they rescued the tiny infant as their mother lay dead nearby.
The baby - whose gender was not revealed - was found 'severely dehydrated and clinging to life' and taken to hospital. No cause of death for the mother, who also was not named, has been disclosed.
Cops were called to the apartment close to Central Avenue and Illini Street in Eleven Palms, south Phoenix, at around 11am on May 14 after concerned neighbors dialed 911 saying they hadn't seen the woman who lived there for several days.
'Inside the home, they discovered the mother had passed away and her baby was still alive, severely dehydrated and clinging to life,' police said in a release on Thursday.
'Officers quickly got the infant help, and the baby was taken to a nearby hospital to recover.
'The baby was taken to the hospital in critical condition. We are happy to report, the infant's condition has improved greatly, and they're expected to survive.'
Police bodycam images show officers shouting 'hello?' outside the apartment, receiving no response and breaking down the door.
The scene then cuts to an officer uncovering a tiny infant wrapped in blankets on a bed, where police said the mother's body was also found.
He gently places the baby in a stroller before passing the child to EMT colleagues, who rescued them from the brink of death.
Detectives described the baby as 'visibly emaciated.'
Phoenix Police spokesperson Sgt Brian Bower also gave more context during an interview with Arizona Family.
Describing the scene, he said: 'Officers looked through an open window and saw an adult woman who was motionless.
'The mother had passed away while the child was still on the bed still curled up where the mother had left them.
'It wasn't learned until well after the fact from doctors and staff at the hospital that if the police officers didn't immediately provide aid and didn't immediately go into the apartment, the child may not have survived much longer.'
Sgt Bower praised the actions of the police officers and neighbors who alerted them to the tragedy.
'It's because of the smart, immediate actions of the officers as well as the neighbors seeing something unusual and calling in for help,' he said.
Bower said the Department of Child Safety is involved in caring for the baby. Police are still investigating the mother's cause of death.
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