Twins abandoned at hospital; one dead
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Posted 7:07AM on Thursday 11th July 2002 ( 22 years ago )
DECATUR - Newborn twins were abandoned Wednesday in a bathroom at a suburban Atlanta hospital. One baby died; the other was in critical condition Wednesday evening. <br>
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Police believe the twins were several hours old when they were wrapped in blankets and left at DeKalb Medical Center. Born premature, one twin died about 30 minutes after it was found. The surviving twin weighed just 2.5 pounds. <br>
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Two hospital visitors found the babies at about 11 a.m., said DeKalb Police Lt. Larry Florea. <br>
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Police were reviewing security tapes to try to identify the mother. A new Georgia law allows women to drop off unwanted newborns at hospitals without facing abandonment charges, but the law requires a mother to leave the child with a hospital employee and leave her name and address. <br>
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The law, which took effect in May, was intended to prevent baby abandonment in out-of-the-way places. The mother of the twins left at DeKalb Medical would not be shielded because she didn't leave the twins in the custody of a staff member. <br>
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Florea said the mother probably hoped the babies would be safe if she left them at a hospital. <br>
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``At least she did that much, but the problem is the children were left here and no one was notified of it. And it was left to someone to find the children, and you're talking about a period of time, and in this case one of them passed on,'' he said.
http://accesswdun.com/article/2002/7/192595
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