Baby Niguel Jackson was found in a field after an extensive search by Baton Rouge first responders. How he got there is under investigation. (Photo: WAFB Screen Shot)
A baby who went missing this week in Baton Rouge, LA, was spotted alive in a field by officers in a helicopter and rescued.
The approximately 8-month-old baby does not have any obvious signs of trauma and is currently being evaluated at an area hospital, a spokesperson for the Baton Rouge Fire Department told WAFB. The baby’s name is Niguel Jackson, according to a family member.
Police said there are no charges pending against the baby’s mother at this time. The case remains under investigation.
Authorities said the mother was taken to the search area and assisted first responders in locating the missing 8-month-old infant.
A spokesperson for the Baton Rouge Fire Department said the child’s mother went to a fire station on Tuesday, March 15, and had to be taken to the hospital.
While the woman was being treated she mentioned the baby, who was not with her when she went to the fire station, authorities say. Family members told investigators the woman had the baby with her when she left her home to go to the fire station on Tuesday, according to the fire department.
BRPD spokesman Lt. Don Coppola said the woman doesn't face charges over the incident, which seemed prompted by medical issues.
Louisiana law allows parents to bring babies to so-called "safe-haven sites" if they feel unable to care for them. State statute designates hospitals, fire stations and EMS outposts, among other locations, as safe surrender sites where parents can, in some cases, legally abandon their children, the Advocate reports.
The state's safe-haven law applies to children younger than two months, according to the Department of Child and Family Services.
