CHEROKEE COUNTY, S.C. — Deputies in South Carolina are investigating after a newborn baby girl was abandoned on the front porch of a home in Cherokee County.
The Cherokee County Sheriff's Office told multiple media outlets that the child was left at a house on McKee Drive around 8:30 p.m. on January 4.
The homeowner told officers that he heard the doorbell of his home ring. When he opened the door, he didn't see anyone standing there, but when he looked down, he saw the little girl.
The child was wrapped in a blanket.
The girl was taken to the hospital for treatment. Doctors told officers they think the little girl was born around 35 to 36 weeks, meaning she was a little premature. She weighed just under five pounds when she was first examined.
The child is under the protection of the South Carolina Department of Social Services.
The child abandonment does not appear to fall under the protection of Daniel's Law, the South Carolina statue which shields parents from prosecution who give the baby up at a safe haven.
Anyone who had information about the baby or the identity of the person responsible for leaving the child to call Crime Stoppers at 888-CRIME-SC or Captain Daniel Ward with the Cherokee County Sheriff’s Office at 864-489-4722 extension 119.