Baby girl left at Dayton hospital too old for Safe Havens law to apply

Dayton police said they have identified a woman who dropped off a baby girl at Dayton Children’s Hospital on Thursday morning, and the baby is more than 30 days old.

That is too old for Ohio’s Safe Havens for Newborns law.

The Safe Havens for Newborns law allows parents of newborn children up to 30 days old legally to leave the infant with medical workers at hospitals and fire stations or with an officer at a law enforcement agency. Under the law, parents who choose to leave their babies are offered anonymity and do not face charges, as long as the baby has not been abused.

Dayton police used social media and a press release late Thursday morning to ask for help locating or identifying the woman, saying detectives from the Special Victims Unit wanted to talk to her.

Dayton police said Thursday afternoon SVU detectives are handling the investigation but offered no additional information.