Phoenix police rescue baby left alone for days after mother dies

A baby who was left alone for days in a Phoenix, Arizona, apartment was rescued by police officers last month after the infant’s mother had died, officials said Friday.

Phoenix police said they received a call from a neighbor on the morning of May 14 to check on a woman who had recently given birth, but who had not been heard from for several days. Bodycam footage released by the Phoenix Police Department show officers looking through the apartment’s unlocked window, which is when the officers saw the woman lying on the floor, police said.

They forced the apartment door open and rescued the baby who was “laying on the bed visibly emaciated.” 

The bodycam video also showed one of the responding officers carefully placing the baby in a stroller before handing it over to another rescuer. Phoenix Fire Department personnel then took the child to a hospital to receive lifesaving care, and the baby is expected to make a full recovery, police said.

The Maricopa County medical examiner’s office is investigating the cause of the mother’s death. Her name was not released. No other information was immediately available.