Duluth police investigating ID of week-old baby left with staff at local shelter

DULUTH – The Duluth Police Department is trying to identify a healthy week-old baby that was left with staff at a local shelter for survivors of abuse in mid-January.

The infant was left inside a shelter run by Safe Haven Shelter and Resource Center wrapped in a blanket and placed in a basket with diapers and formula on Jan. 21, according to search warrants filed by Duluth police to gain electronic information from Safe Haven.

A staff member told police that the woman who dropped off the infant said she couldn’t care for the child. After police arrived, the baby was taken to a local hospital and is now with a foster family, according to police chief Mike Ceynowa.

Because the shelter has a protected address, local authorities believe the woman is known to staff, the search warrant says.

Ceynowa, in a video statement posted Wednesday, said the department is investigating who the baby is, who dropped the baby off and how the two are related. The police’s focus is also on “aiding in reunification.”

“Our main concern has been, and will continue to be, the safety and well-being of both the infant and the individual who dropped the infant off,” Ceynowa said.

Safe Haven, a shelter that offers resources for victims of domestic violence, follows the Violence Against Women Act. Staff will not break confidentiality for anyone who uses the shelter’s services — unless the person provides a release of information, staff suspect there is abuse or neglect involved, or there is a judicial search warrant.

In the days following the baby’s drop-off, the Duluth Police Department filed search warrants to recover video footage of the comings and goings at the shelter around the time the baby was left. Brittany Robb, Safe Haven’s executive director, said staff cooperated with the terms of the warrants.

Minnesota’s safe haven law says that an unharmed baby younger than seven days old can be left at a hospital, urgent care or with an ambulance service. The mother, or someone speaking on her behalf, has to give approval.

Under these circumstances, those who have taken in the baby and the mother won’t be prosecuted, according to childwelfare.gov.

Ceynowa said the shelter doesn’t meet the established criteria as a place where a baby can be dropped off and, because of that, the woman’s identity shouldn’t be confidential.

“We are always going to protect confidentiality,” Robb said. “We are here 24-7. People are always welcome to reach out, even if they need someone to talk to. If we’re not the correct agency, we’ll redirect them to who can help them best.”

A spokeswoman for the Police Department said Thursday that no more information will be released about the incident.