Baby left abandoned at Cahokia Mounds, parents may have fled country, police say
_fitted.png "An infant was found in the Cahokia Mounds parking lot in Collinsville Sunday night wearing an onesie and in a carseat similar to those shown.")
A month after an infant was found in the Cahokia Mounds parking lot, police say they believe they’ve identified his parents – but they may not be in the country.
The infant, who was approximately a week to a month old when he was reportedly abandoned June 7, is still safe and in Illinois Department of Children and Family Services’ care, according to a Facebook update the Collinsville Police Department posted Friday.
No charges have been filed, the post said, but Collinsville Police Maj. Mark Kuechle told the Belleville News-Democrat that the department plans to recommend charges to the Madison County state’s attorney’s office.
The post says the infant’s parents are believed to have fled the country. Law enforcement did not specify where they are believed to be now.
Kuechle told the BND that law enforcement believes the parents previously lived locally, and local law enforcement does not have information related to the suspected parents’ immigration status.
Collinsville police previously asked for the public’s help to identify the infant and his parents. In a news release, they described the infant as a Hispanic male between a week and a month old. He was found sleeping in a green and black Evenflo car seat while wearing an orange-and-white striped onesie and a small hat.
Witnesses saw a Hispanic man driving a dark blue, extremely loud older car in the parking lot between 7:40 and 8 p.m. The car traveled west on Collinsville Road after leaving the parking lot, the initial news release stated.
Kuechle encourages individuals with any information to contact the Collinsville Police Department at 618-344-2131 or Crime Stoppers at 1-866-371-TIPS (8477). Tips may be submitted anonymously, Kuechle said.
Illinois’ Baby Safe Haven Law allows parents to surrender an unharmed infant up to 30 days old to a hospital, fire or police station or emergency care facility anonymously and without fear of prosecution. The infant must be physically handed to a staff member at one of these facilities.