ORION TOWNSHIP, Mich. – A 4-month-old baby is expected to be OK after he was found lying face down in a wooded area on the banks of an Orion Township creek on Wednesday, police said.
When Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies found the baby near Waldon and Joslyn roads the baby was in a hypothermic state. Deputies removed the baby’s wet sleeper and wrapped him in warm blankets before he was taken to St. Joseph Mercy Hospital for observation.
The child is expected to be kept overnight at the hospital and will be placed in the care of Child Protective Services.
Deputies were sent to the area at 8:35 a.m. on Wednesday after receiving two 911 calls from residents in the area regarding a woman who was hiding in the bushes and ringing their doorbells.
The residents said the woman appeared distraught and said she believed someone was chasing her with guns. When deputies arrived the woman was no longer in the area. Staff from Waldon Middle School called police to report a frantic woman pounding on the locked doors of the school.
When deputies arrived they found a 37-year-old Orion Township resident and spoke with her. They learned she had an infant son. Deputies said they noticed she had burrs on her pants, leading them to believe she had been a field or wooded area.
Deputies began searching in a 1-mile grid between the woman’s home, the school, and the residents who reported her activity. A K-9 unit was also called to assist in the search. There were 13 patrol cars dispatched to the area, a drone and aviation unit called.
Deputies discovered the infant thirty minutes after learning he was missing. The infant was found in a wooded area cold, wet, but still alive. The child was stabilized with the help of Orion Township emergency medical personnel.
Deputies said the case may involve prescription drug abuse. A warrant is being sought for the mother’s arrest on suspected child abuse.
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