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HOUSTON (FOX 26) - An emergency court hearing for an abandoned newborn took place on Friday morning. The baby was discovered on Thursday, bloody and covered with ants in a bush of a northwest Harris County apartment complex. A judge will determine if Child Protective Services will be granted custody of the baby.
"We're talking about a newborn child that was exposed to the outside for like 6 hours, unattended without even a blanket," says Dan-Phi Nguyen, Assistant County Attorney with the Harris County Attorney's Office.
During the hearing, it was revealed that the baby's umbilical cord was ripped rather than cut, which was initially life-threatening, but the child has recovered, suffering from a small bacterial infection.
The alleged father of the baby is 22 year old Deandre Skillern. The maternal grandmother, TIna Woytasczyk, is also asking for custody. The judge ruled that the alleged father take both DNA and drug tests.
The next CPS court date is scheduled for Aug. 24.
Authorities say that a man was on his way to work on Thursday when he found a female newborn in the grass at the Bridges of Cypress Creek Apartments at around 5:30 a.m. The baby girl was taken to Texas Children's Hospital.
A CPS caseworker says the baby was only 6 hours old when she was found. Had the little girl not been found when she was, it's likely she would've died in a matter of minutes. There was a trail of blood that led deputies to the exact apartment where they found a couple living. Deputies say that inside the apartment was a 21-year-old woman who admitted to giving birth to that baby. She also admitted to leaving that child outside.
"Beyond words. I don't have words for that. Thank goodness this man was here," said the investigator on the scene. The young mom is now facing charges in the case. Deputies say they have the mother in custody, but they are waiting to hear from the District Attorney's office about any charges she could face.