Detroit police are investigating after an infant was left on the porch of a home on Cruz Street near Fenkel Avenue.
Watch our video report below:
Family says newborn baby was not left on porch of Detroit home, teen has given birth
In an exclusive interview with 7 News Detroit on Friday, the family who found the child said their 16-year-old daughter had the baby after a pregnancy they were unaware of.
A home security camera captured the moment a homeowner called 911, followed by EMS arriving to the home. The family says their daughter told them a child was on the porch in the cold around 9 p.m.
“We just kept praising the mom, saying nice things about her (like) we thank you for bringing the baby here, not knowing it was our baby,” said Kimberly Peoples-Adams, the teen’s grandmother.
Peoples-Adams spoke to us from the hospital, where the baby and his mother are being cared for. Peoples-Adams says her granddaughter did not mention the pregnancy because she feared her family would be disappointed.
Hear from Kishore’s grandmother below:
Web Extra: Woman speaks out after teenage granddaughter gives birth alone on Thanksgiving
“She just felt like she was letting down people who had put so much faith in her. She’s on the honor roll and robotics — she was doing great! So she thought her life was over. That’s why she told that story,” Peoples-Adams said.
The family says the teen went into labor alone at home on Thanksgiving, gave birth to the baby, and even cut the umbilical cord with the help of videos on YouTube. He then called his family and said he had found the child on the verandah.
The child is stable and we have learned that he was never left out in the cold.
The family say they are supporting the mother and child and are asking for mercy.
“She was scared. Very scared, very nervous, even though we’re a very close family,” Peoples-Adams said. “You can’t imagine what’s going through a teenager’s mind. She’s still 16, she’s still nervous, she’s still trying to learn how to interact with the world. She just felt like she was being judged, and she was being judged.”
Child Protective Services is reviewing the incident.
Under Michigan’s Safe Delivery Law, a parent or parents can safely and legally surrender their newborn baby who is no more than 3 days old.
The law says a newborn can be delivered to an EMT or paramedic inside a hospital, fire department, police station and to a uniformed employee on duty or by calling 911.
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