Tragedy Strikes as Idaho Teen Arrested After Newborn Found Dead in Safe Haven Baby Box
(Blackfoot Police Department)
An 18-year-old from Twin Falls, Idaho, has been arrested following the discovery of a deceased baby in a Safe Haven Baby Box at Grove Creek Medical Center in Blackfoot last month. The Blackfoot Police Department confirmed the arrest on social media, identifying the teen as Angel N. Newberry, who now faces a felony charge for failing to report a death to law enforcement and the coroner.
The baby, wrapped in a blanket with the placenta still attached, was found on October 13. Monica Kelsey, the founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, stated that hospital staff responded immediately to an alarm triggered by the box but discovered the baby had already died before being placed inside.
Under Idaho law, the Safe Haven Baby Box system is designed to allow custodial parents to safely and anonymously surrender unharmed newborns under 30 days old without legal repercussions. The law does not, however, extend protection to cases involving harmed or deceased infants.
“The Safe Haven Baby Box is intended to safely and anonymously allow custodial parents to surrender a newborn under 30 days old without legal repercussions, provided the child is unharmed,” Blackfoot Police stated. “Unfortunately, the placement of a harmed or deceased infant is not protected under this system or Idaho law.”
This is the only Safe Haven Baby Box currently installed in Idaho, though Kelsey noted plans to add another next year. Police have withheld additional details as the investigation continues, with the potential for further charges.
In another story, a Texas mother of four, Marisa Christie, revealed she temporarily forgot she had given birth to triplets after suffering a rare and life-threatening complication moments after delivery. Christie, 30, delivered three baby girls at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Medical Center in Houston in August. Shortly after, she experienced an amniotic fluid embolism, a condition where amniotic fluid or fetal material enters the mother’s bloodstream, causing severe complications.
“The doctors had pulled all three [babies] out. Actually, they were resting them on my stomach to do a delayed cord clamping,” Christie shared with the Today Show. “My arms flew up, and that was when my heart stopped.”
Christie flatlined multiple times within 45 minutes and spent a week unconscious. When she awoke, she was reminded she had delivered triplets. Her recovery and survival from this rare condition highlight the resilience of both her mother and medical staff during a high-risk situation.
