STAFFORD, Texas—Police are searching for the birth mother of a newborn girl who was found abandoned on a front doorstep at a Stafford apartment complex early Wednesday morning.
Fort Bend County deputies responded to the scene at the Preserve at Colony Lakes Apartments in the 1000 block of Farrah Lane around 4:26 a.m.
The Prasala family said they were getting ready for church when they heard a knock at the door. When they opened it, they were surprised to find a baby wrapped in a towel on their doorstep. They quickly called 911.
"It’s your own kid. Why would you want to do something like that to it?" Ben Prasala said.
Investigators said the baby appeared to have been delivered in a home, or possibly a car, not too far from the apartment complex.
"Oh, it was just born. The umbilical cord was cut, and it was just laying on the flood," Prasala said.
Fort Bend County Chief Deputy Craig Brady said the outcome could have been much worse had the Prasalas not answered the door.
"I don’t know if the birth mother, whoever it was that dropped it off, knew if anyone was at home or not," Brady said. "They simply knocked on the door and left. If there would not have been anyone home, the baby very well could have died from hypothermia."
The baby was taken to Southwest Memorial Hermann Hospital for medical evaluation and treatment.
Deputies said they’ve launched a criminal investigation and were anxious to find the birth mother to see if there are any medical issues with the baby or any other concerns that needed to be addressed.
They said they had few clues, but when they do find the mother, she could face felony child endangerment charges.
As for the Prasalas, Wednesday morning’s knock at the door was one they will never forget.
"What if it was raining or something? You don’t know what could have happened to the kid," Prasala said.
Thankfully, authorities said she is expected to be just fine.
