Newborn Found In Recycling Gets Name And Funeral

CHICAGO RIDGE, Ill. (STMW) -- The dead newborn boy found May 1 at a south suburban recycling plant has been given a name, will get a funeral and will be buried, the SouthtownStar is reporting.

The boy has been named Jeremiah Michael. The names have special meaning given the circumstances, Chicago Ridge Police Chief Robert Pyznarski said Tuesday.

"Michael is the patron saint of police, and Jeremiah means 'God will set you free,' " said Donna Betsanes, administrative assistant to the chief.

The baby was not full term, but could have survived if given the proper medical care after birth, the Cook County Medical Examiner's office said last week. The cause of death has not been determined.

The baby's body was found about 4 a.m. May 1 in a soft cooler by a worker at Resource Management Cos., 10111 Andersen Ave.

It was found among refuse with addresses in Waukegan, which leads to speculation it may have been born there, Pyznarski said. But items were also collected in North Chicago and Pleasant Prairie, Wis., he said, and the investigation continues.

A group that offers to pay for burials of the poor is talking with the police about providing a burial for the baby, Betsanes said.

The Rev. Ken Carlson, former pastor of Our Lady of the Ridge Roman Catholic Church in Chicago Ridge, has agreed to officiate the funeral, she said.

(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)