Watch CBS News

Girl, 9, Finds Abandoned Newborn In Northwest Indiana

LOWELL, Ind. (CBS) -- A 9-year-old girl in northwest Indiana found an abandoned infant on Monday morning in her family's back yard.

Elysia Laub found the infant at first thought the baby was a piglet. That's because her family keeps pigs in a pen.

"It just freaked me out, I didn't know what it was," she tells CBS 2's Brad Edwards.

She screamed for her mom, Heidi, who was incredulous. The baby, likely less than a day old, still had placenta and umbilical cord attached.

Lake County Sheriff John Buncich is grateful for the child's discovery.

"We're considering her the guardian angel of that infant," he says.

"I didn't do this myself," she says. "Somebody helped me."

Who?

"God," the girl says.

The baby suffered from sun exposure, but is expected to be fine.

Initial investigation indicates that the newborn was at that location for an unknown period of time between several hours up to more than one day.

The newborn was taken to St. Anthony's Hospital for emergency medical treatment.

Anyone with information about this incident is urged to call the Lake County Sheriff's Department Report-A-Crime Hotline at 1-800-750-2746.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.