WEST HARRIS COUNTY, TX (Covering Katy News) - A newborn baby girl found abandoned along a Katy area walking trail was rushed to a hospital Saturday morning in fair condition.
According to the Harris County Sheriff's Office, the discovery occurred around 9 a.m. in the 5500 block of Casa Martin, near Bear Creek in west Harris County.
A couple walking with their child and dogs found the baby wrapped in a white blanket and placed on a pedestrian bridge, the sheriff's office said. The couple immediately called 9-1-1.
According to Sheriff's Office Sgt. Juan Garcia, the couple informed police they had seen a man walking away from the bridge shortly before they discovered the baby.
"A premature infant girl, still with an umbilical cord attached, was discovered abandoned and wrapped in a blanket," Sheriff Ed Gonzales said in a post on X.
Investigators from the sheriff's office child abuse unit hope that they can locate security video that will help them locate the person who abandoned the child.
"We don't have any leads at this time," Garcia told the Houston Chronicle on Saturday.
Texas laws include safe haven provisions allowing individuals to safely abandon children at hospitals or fire stations without repercussions under the Baby Moses laws. Parents who relinquish infants safely and unharmed are exempt from charges related to abandonment or neglect.