Jacksonville, FL

Safe Haven seeks to protect unwanted babies

The heat index in Jacksonville on Thursday topped 100 degrees—not a good day for anyone to be outside for long without water or shade. A resident of Beachwood Apartments on the Southside decided to take her trash out. What she found in the dumpster will likely be a memory she’ll carry for the rest of her life. Inside a pillowcase, along with the garbage, the female resident found a newborn baby girl. The fact the child was alive is a miracle.

The individual who literally threw a child away, a baby whose birth was so recent her umbilical cord was still attached, had other options. Florida’s Infant Safe Haven laws permit a parent to legally leave a child at a hospital, an emergency medical station or a fire station. As long as the child has not been harmed, the parent will not be prosecuted.

According to media, ‘Baby Jane Doe’ is in good condition at a Jacksonville hospital. The person who tossed a baby out like an empty milk carton could be charged with child endangerment.

I don’t know if angels really exist, but I think they do. There had to be one sending a woman to take out her trash, and to save that baby.

Hopefully, a loving family will adopt this child who came into this world unwanted, saved by a kind stranger who did something as routine as taking the garbage out.

RELATED LINKS:

http://www.cbs47.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=e849aac9-9bdb-4835-b176-1fe922db4215
Story about baby girl abandoned in dumpster in Jacksonville’s Southside; CBS47 TV.

http://www.childwelfare.gov/systemwide/laws_policies/state/index.cfm?event=stateStatutes.processSearch
State of Florida Safe Haven Statute details at Child Welfare Information Gateway, service of the U.S. Dept. Health and Human Services.

One of the blessings of being a writer comes when you know you helped someone. Jim Davis, father of Michael Austin Davis, left this message as a comment related to the original story we did when Michael Davis vanished from Jacksonville June 25. Jim Davis asked me to post his message, and I’m including it here. I hope readers will help keep Michael Davis’s story alive, and if anyone has information, please contact the parties listed on the flier at the original story. The Gainesville area is of strong interest, so please help get the word out to those you know in that city. I did a light edit, but no content was changed.

Kay,
Thanks for all you have done to help us find Austin. Please consider posting the following “Thank You”.

Austin’s friends and family are continuously amazed at the wonderful and warm support we have received in our desperate search to find Austin. This experience, as horrific as it is, has served as a reminder of all the good and caring people in our community and for that matter, throughout the country.

Our most recent lead has centered our search in the Gainesville area and Gainesville Mayor Pegeen Hanrahan and Commissioner Richard Bryant have taken personal interest in our search for Austin. As a result, Alachua County Sheriff’s Office has joined with JSO in the search. We are greatly [indebted] to Alachua County and the City of Gainesville for their help.

Detective Cummings of JSO has worked diligently in his efforts to locate Austin and has not left a stone unturned. We feel certain that his efforts will bring Austin home to us soon. Detective McKinnon is working side by side with Det. Cummings and both are working state-wide and with Georgia Law Enforcement Agencies in their efforts. My sincere thanks is extended to both of these good men.

We have received considerable help from the media in Jacksonville, Lake City and Gainesville. This includes numerous newspaper articles, radio announcements, TV spots and website links to Austin’s Website now under construction (WWW.FindAustinDavis.com).

We are especially appreciative of the efforts of Mr. Lamar Thames and MyClay Today for assisting in notifying the public and Lamar’s personal words of encouragement. We are also grateful to each of our local TV stations who aired the story a couple of weeks ago and also www.about-jacksonville.com.

As an employee of Commander, Navy Region Southeast, I owe a debt of gratitude to all my co-workers and bosses for their understanding and tolerance during this difficult time, especially Mr. Bruce Toth, CAPT Cuny and our Chief of Staff, CAPT Schellhorn. Monica and I are both grateful to her staff at Wellington Place Apartments and her bosses for their support and understanding during this family crisis.

A special thank you goes to our friends and neighbors who stepped up in our crisis and provided emotional and spiritual support and their love. With their help, thousands of flyers have been posted throughout NE Florida and South Georgia. Without these good friends, our desperation would be overwhelming.

I greatly appreciate Austin’s Mom, Christy, and the dedication with which she has pursued our son’s recovery, including changing her residence to be close during the search. Thanks to our friend, Debbie Wynn, for helping Christy through this. Hold tight, Christy, God is in control.

I not only appreciate but find great pride in my daughter, Anita, for her endless efforts to locate her brother. She continues to work in a demanding job and keep her household running for her husband, Mike and our Grandson, Drew, while dedicating hours every day to our search. I am proud of you, Anita. Keep up the hard work and the faith.
Thanks to Austin’s employer (Mega Bytes Computers) and his friends (especially Dick and Kelly) who have worked diligently over the past few weeks to locate Austin. I have met friends of my son through this experience that give me comfort and realize the treasure he possesses. Thanks to all of you.

Above all others, I thank my wife and friend, Monica, for her love, support and hard work in keeping me in check and focused on the things that matter. I love you and appreciate you.

Most of all, I thank my heavenly Father for keeping Austin safe and bringing him back to us soon.

Austin’s father,
Jim Davis

RELATED LINKS:

http://www.FindAustinDavis.com
Official site with information about Michael Austin Davis, missing from Jacksonville, FL since June 25, 2007.

http://www.about-jacksonvillefl.com/vanished-without-a-trace-michael-austin-davis/#comments
Original story about Michael Austin Davis published at About Jacksonville FL July 11.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Safe Haven, Abandoned Baby, Adoption, Find Austin Davis, Vanished without a Trace