Mar 1, 2008 1:00 am US/Eastern
NYPD: Only 1 Call About Abandoned Baby
Cops Release Sketch Of Man Believed To Be Father
Reporting
Lou Young
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
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This baby girl was left abandoned inside a livery cab in Queens on Feb. 28, 2008.
CBS
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Police released this sketch of the man who abandoned a baby in a livery cab in Queens.
CBS
Police are asking for help from the public in finding the family of a baby girl left inside a livery cab in Queens on Thursday, and have released a sketch of the man who abandoned her along with a bag of clothes, diapers, and food.
But NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said the department's tips hotline has been anything but hot, with only one person calling in thus far. Kelly said that call "did not pan out."
Sources tell CBS 2 the man who abandoned the baby told the livery driver who picked him up that the baby's mother had left him earlier in the week. Investigators continue to hunt for the man, who vanished after telling the driver to pull over so he could use a pay phone in Jackson Heights. The driver took the baby to a firehouse in Corona, where firefighters later took her to a St. John's Hospital, where she's remained in excellent condition.
Hospital workers nicknamed the girl "Lourdes." Dressed in pink pajamas and a matching bow, the infant, believed to be about 7 months old, appeared to very well cared for before being abandoned.
Calls have been pouring in by people hoping to adopt her since her story went public.
"I think about 800 women want to take her home," said Annette Hastings, a St. John's Hospital worker.
Residents near where the baby was abandoned were shocked to hear that someone could leave a baby alone.
"It's devestating of course. The baby is totally helpless. People need to take care of a baby, it's really simple," said Queens resident Rebecca Miller.
Added resident Mildred Matthew: "This is a good country which takes care of all types of problems, a sad way to just leave such a beautiful kid."
Lourdes is now in the custody of the city's Administration for Children's Services where a spokeswoman said they are looking for a strong, loving foster family to take care of her – at least temporarily.
The Queens District Attorney will have to decide what charges, if any, the baby's relatives may face once tracked down.
Stay with CBS 2 HD and wcbstv.com for the latest in this developing story.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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