EVERETT, Wa. — A woman’s motherly instincts led to a shocking discovery in a trash dispenser: a newborn baby alive and crying under bags of trash.
Paula Andrews tells KCPQ that another woman first heard the cries, but thought they were coming from a baby doll. Then Andrews heard the sounds and felt something wasn’t right.
She called 911 and, wearing her Easter dress and high heels, she jumped into the dumpster full of garbage.
“I just had this motherly instinct,” Andrews said. “I just think…I just think that God was just telling me something. Don’t stop. Keep digging. Find out. Make sure.”
Andrews ripped away at about 20 full bags of trash and lifted a large microwave to find a newborn baby boy underneath it. The baby was covered in blood. The umbilical cord was still attached.
Medics quickly checked the baby out and warmed him up before rushing him to the hospital.
Washington state Safe Haven Law protects a person from prosecution if they take a child less than three days old to any fire station or hospital. In this case, a fire station is just a three-minute drive from the dumpster.
“To find a baby in a dumpster, it easily could have been compacted,” said Andrews. “He’s got some meaning in life. There’s some purpose for this baby.”
Officials say the baby is in good condition but is still in the hospital. He will be released to Child Protective Services.
