Baby girl found covered in ants [fire ants, that is]

The Birmingham News [Alabama] ^ | July 25, 2002 | Carol Robinson

[SlickWillard]

Baby girl found covered in ants

07/25/02

CAROL ROBINSON
News staff writer

An 86-year-old Cullman County woman on her morning walk Wednesday discovered a infant girl abandoned in a cardboard box and swarmed with fire ants.

The baby, which appeared to be about two weeks old, was swaddled in a diaper made from old clothing and had a bottle of formula nestled beside her.

"Oh Lord, it was sad," said Cullman County Sheriff's Lt. Phillip Lambert. "It saddened everybody there."

The girl was alive and she was taken by helicopter to Children's Hospital where she was in guarded condition in the intensive care unit. Hospital spokeswoman Diane Black said the girl was being treated for numerous ant bites.

Grace Anderson said she walks in that area for exercise every day and was passing by about 10 a.m. when she heard a small cry. She went to investigate what she thought was an abandoned or injured kitten or puppy.

Instead, she found the box a crate-style cardboard container with cutout handles underneath a concrete picnic table shaded by a big tree near the cemetery at Valley Springs Church about two miles southwest of Good Hope on County Road 437.

She said she was stunned when she looked inside.

"She had so many of those little ants on her," Anderson said. "Her skin was bruised a little bit."

"I couldn't hardly think. She was crying and the little thing had the strongest voice you ever heard. It made me nervous," Anderson said. "She is a beautiful baby with a little old sweet face."

The box was lined with old clothes and blankets and the bottle was about a quarter full.

"I think they meant for her to be found," Lambert said.

Anderson quickly summoned help.

"They did a fantastic job getting the baby cleared of all the ants," Lambert said of the responding rescue workers.

Investigators were trying to determine the identity of the baby's mother. They had a description of a car seen leaving the area about 7:40 a.m. and were searching for it Wednesday.

The state in 2000 launched the Secret Safe Place program, which allows parents to leave babies anonymously in a hospital up to 72 hours after they are born without fear of prosecution for child abandonment or endangerment.

Lambert would not discuss whether authorities would seek charges if they find the mother.

"We've never had a case like this before," he said.

Anderson, a great-grandmother, said the morning's events shook her.

"It just does something to you. You can't get over it," she said. "Whoever put her there at the church thought they were giving her a good home. They just didn't know about the ants."

[SlickWillard]

Another day, another abandoned child.

What a happy world we live in.

[Frank_Discussion]

Dammit! Deadbeat, ignorant, moronic sunsabitches! It's a baby, take it to a shelter if you don't want it, or to a hospital, the police for the love of God!

What the he11 is wrong with people!?!?!

[OldFriend]

Are there no Baby Safe programs in every state?

[goodieD]

The state in 2000 launched the Secret Safe Place program, which allows parents to leave babies anonymously in a hospital up to 72 hours after they are born without fear of prosecution for child abandonment or endangerment

Yeah, that's obviously worked REAL well... Thank you pro abortion folks for making life so cheap.

[SlickWillard]

Dammit! Deadbeat, ignorant, moronic sunsabitches! It's a baby, take it to a shelter if you don't want it, or to a hospital, the police for the love of God! What the he11 is wrong with people!?!?!

Dude, it's just an unviable tissue mass - chill out, will ya'? I mean, in the big scheme of things, like, so what?

[SlickWillard]

I mean, in the big scheme of things, like, so what?

Besides, like, the fire ants, they have just as much right to three square meals a day as anyone else.

[rockfish59]

I can think of some nice fire ant tortures for the low lifes!

[scholar]

This mother condemned her child to death, but if she is apprehended, every pro-choice nut in the country will defend her because SHE is a victim.

[PoisedWoman]

I hpe this baby survives those bites. Some people are extremely allergic to them, including moi. One bite on my hand caused it to swell like a football, sent me to hospital and doctor thought I'd need hand surgery. I cannot even imagine the agony this child went through.

[gcruse]

Thank you pro abortion folks for making life so cheap.

Uhmm, abortion prevents unwanted births.  Like this one maybe was.

[blam]

"Are there no Baby Safe programs in every state?"

It originated here in Mobile.

[admiralsn]

"Her skin was bruised a little bit."

Sounds fishy right there.

[Paid4This]

If she was allergic, she would be dead already. Hopefully scarring won't be a problem either, at her age she should heal well. I can't believe the person who left the baby deliberately left it near a mound, they're just a moron who didn't think. People think fire ants only attack if they disturb their mound, but they will eat any animal that can't get away from them. Thank god this child will never remember the attack, that would be the worst part. If you have been swarmed by fire ants, you know what I'm talking about. I received 70 bites in a matter of seconds while playing paintball one, all on my right arm. I got off lucky.

If the irresponsible person who left this child turns themselves in, I would be merciful, if they don't, and they get caught, throw the book at them as hard as possible.

[trad_anglican]

Alabam, you've got the rest of the union to help you along. What's going wrong?

[Delbert]

I remeber reading or hearing at one time, that a society can be judged on how it treats it's most vulnerable members. Is this what we have become?

[madprof98]

Uhmm, abortion prevents unwanted births. Like this one maybe was.

Ah, but perhaps the baby was WANTED at birth and then UNWANTED soon afterwards. Since pro-abortion folks like yourself have made "wantedness" the sole criterion by which to judge the value (if any) of the most vulnerable of human beings, why not just feed the kid to the fire ants? Takes sucking it down the sink just one step further.

[Saundra Duffy]

"Whoever put her there at the church thought they were giving her a good home. They just didn't know about the ants."

No excuse.