DETROIT (WXYZ) — A newborn baby who was initially believed to have been dropped off on the porch of a Detroit home on Thursday night is the baby of a teenage girl who lives in the home, family told 7 News Detroit.
Detroit police are investigating after it was reported that a newborn baby boy was left on the porch of the home on Cruse Street near Fenkell Avenue.
Watch our video report below:
In an exclusive interview with 7 News Detroit on Friday, the family, who found the child, said their 16-year-old daughter had the baby following a pregnancy they were not aware of.
Home security cameras captured the moment EMS arrived to the home, after a homeowner called 911. Family says their daughter told them a baby was on the porch in the cold around 9 p.m.
"We just kept praising saying good things about the momma (like) we thank you for bringing the baby here, not knowing that it was our baby all along," said Kimberly Peoples-Adams, the teen's grandmother.
Peoples-Adams spoke with us from the hospital, where the baby and his mom are being cared for. Peoples-Adams says her granddaughter didn't mention the pregnancy, fearing her family would be disappointed.
Hear from the teen's grandmother below:
"She just felt that she was letting down those who had put so much on her. She's on the honor roll and robotics — she was doing great! So she just thought her life was over. So that's why she said she told that story," Peoples-Adams said.
Family says the teen had gone into labor at home alone on Thanksgiving, delivering the baby, even cutting the cord with help from videos on YouTube. She then called her family saying she found the baby on the porch.
The baby is stable and we've learned he was never left outside in the cold.
Family says they are supporting the mother and baby and are asking for compassion.
"She was afraid. Very afraid, very nervous even though we're a very close family," Peoples-Adams said. "You can't imagine what would go through a teenager's mind. She's still 16, she's still nervous, she's still trying to learn how to deal with the world. She just felt that she's being judged, and she is being judged."
Children's Protective Services is conducting a review on the incident.
Under Michigan's Safe Delivery law, a parent or parents can safely and legally surrender their newborn, no more than 3 days old.
The law states that the newborn may be given to a uniformed employee who is inside and on duty at any hospital, fire department, police station, or to an EMT or paramedic by calling 911.
