Child given up in Belen is state's second 'baby-box' surrender

BELEN — Firefighters didn’t have to wait long after a “baby box” was installed at the city’s fire station before the first infant arrived this week.

An alarm alerted firefighters that someone had just placed an infant in the Safe Haven baby box installed in October.

The boy appeared to be in good health, but immediate action was required, Belen Fire Department Deputy Chief Michael Wessels said Thursday.

“We just went into the immediate care and support role to make sure the baby was taken care of,” he said. “We didn’t have any time to really process it initially. Afterward, we were all kind of flabbergasted that it actually happened.”

The infant — only the second child surrendered at one of New Mexico’s six baby boxes — appeared to have been born at full term within the previous 45 days, Wessels said. The child was transported to University of New Mexico Hospital for evaluation.

The Belen infant was the 41st baby surrendered at a baby box nationwide since the program was launched in 2017, said Monica Kelsey, founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes.

“This child was not abandoned,” Kelsey said Wednesday at a media event at the Belen Fire Department. “Parents are saying, ‘I want what’s best for the child, and it’s not me.’”

The baby box is a temperature-controlled compartment built into a wall of the fire station that allows someone to surrender an infant from outside the building. The box is equipped with alarms that immediately notify first responders.

On Wednesday, Roswell became New Mexico’s sixth baby box location. The others are Española, Carlsbad, Hobbs and Alamogordo.

Including the boy in Belen, a total of 41 infants have been surrendered nationwide at some of the approximately 200 baby boxes in the U.S., Kelsey said.

Once surrendered, the child becomes the responsibility of the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department.

CYFD officials said Thursday in a written statement that “the baby boy remains in relatively good health and is safe.”

“CYFD is following its regular procedure to ensure the newborn’s continued safety and (well-being), which includes looking for appropriate placement for him,” the statement said.

Kelsey said the program has a good record of finding adoptive parents. “Every one of our babies that have come through the baby box program have been adopted, actually fairly quickly,” she said.

The first infant surrendered at a New Mexico baby box occurred in September in Hobbs.

CYFD said Thursday the baby surrendered in Hobbs also is “safe and in CYFD custody.”

In early 2022, an 18-year-old Hobbs woman made national news for abandoning her newborn in a dumpster.

The infant survived but the mother, Alexis Avila, now 20, was convicted of reckless child abuse in April by a 5th Judicial District Court jury and sentenced to 16 years in prison.

The New Mexico Court of Appeals in October ordered Avila’s release from prison pending her appeal of that conviction.

Supporters say baby boxes are intended to prevent cases such as the Avila’s.

“The young lady in Hobbs, I would almost guarantee you, didn’t know she had options,” said state Sen. David Gallegos, R-Eunice, who represents Eddy and Lea counties.

Parents have the option of legally handing over an infant in-person at a hospital or a fire station, Gallegos said. The baby box is intended to offer an anonymous option for parents who may feel shamed or fearful at having to surrender an infant to a person.

“What we want is give her every option to do the right thing,” Gallegos said. “There could be multiple reasons why she doesn’t want anyone to see her and know. This gives her that protection.”

Kelsey said parental rights of children surrendered at a baby box remain under a judge’s purview.

“Parental rights are never terminated until a judge puts his gavel down,” she said. “If no parent comes forward, the judge will terminate those rights and the baby is free to be adopted.”