Polk County infant adopted nearly 1 year after being found abandoned in the woods
Photos courtesy: Polk County Sheriff's Office
POLK COUNTY, Fla. - A girl who was found abandoned in the woods in Polk County as a newborn baby has been adopted nearly a year after she was rescued, the Polk County Sheriff's Office announced this week.
According to PCSO, deputies rescued an abandoned baby girl in the woods near the Regal Loop Mobile Home Park in Mulberry on January 28 at around 1:47 a.m.
Flash forward 10 months and one day later, that girl has been officially adopted.
READ: Abandoned newborn baby girl found outside Polk County mobile home park, deputies say
When deputies found the girl, they said she was wrapped in a blanket, still attached to the placenta. Members of the Polk County Fire Rescue checked the girl out and determined that, based on her temperature, she had been born about an hour before she was found.
A nearby resident had heard the baby's cries and called 911.
READ: Parents of newborn abandoned outside Polk County mobile home park could face child neglect charges
"It was by the Grace of God that we found the abandoned baby girl when we did, before exposure to the cold or any animals caused her any harm," Sheriff Grady Judd said at the time. "She was left in an extremely vulnerable condition, but she’s a strong little girl, and it looks like she’s doing great."
The sheriff's office shared pictures of the girl, now almost a year old, with her new mom and dad, along with PCSO Detective Green and Sgt. Ryan.
The mother and father asked to keep their names from being published but allowed the sheriff's office to share the pictures.
PCSO reported that despite an extensive effort by detectives, they were never able to locate or identify the girl's birth mother.