Police Searching for Parents of Abandoned Newborn
By Megan Salzano
Nassau News Staff Writer
Police are still trying to determine who abandoned the newborn boy whose remains were found earlier this month by a man walking his dog along Sunset Drive in Hempstead.
Preliminary tests were able to prove that the child was a boy, according to Det. Lt. Dennis Farrell, the Nassau homicide commander, though at the time the body was discovered it was so badly damaged that neither gender nor ethnicity were identifiable.
Police officials are "trying to obtain DNA from the people who are alleged to be the parents of the child," Farrell said. Police are following up on tips that have come in suggesting who the mother might be.
According to earlier reports by the Nassau County Police Department, it seemed that the child had only been left in the road for up to a day. "Now it appears to be extended, that the baby was probably dead three or more weeks," Farrell said. This estimate was determined by unfortunate conditions noted by the medical examiner. "I'm not going to get into the graphic detail," Farrell said.
The Hempstead High School, Hempstead Golf Club and Hempstead Lake State Park all surround Sunset Drive, where the baby was found. Police believe one of these three large wooded areas to be where the child was abandoned before being carried off by an animal into the Hempstead street where he was found.
"We feel very comfortable that the baby was not just left in the roadway and hit by a car," Farrell said.
Farrell said that while "you can never really get inside somebody else's mind," there are options for women who feel trapped into having unwanted children. Timothy Jaccard is the founder of Children of Hope, an organization founded years ago when the body of a newborn was found in the bathroom at 1st District Court, Hempstead. "[Jaccard's] initiative is to try and let people know that there are alternatives," Farrell explained.
Children of Hope takes in unwanted children, puts them up for adoption and finds them good homes.
"But, when that fails his organization steps in and they bury children like this," Farrell said.
"We haven't had an incident like this in a couple years now, and we were hoping that we were moving toward a time when people would be aware of Mr. Jaccard's services and know that there are alternatives," Farrell said.
He and other Nassau County detectives request that anyone with information about this incident contact the Nassau County Police Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 244- TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
Nassau News Staff Writer
Police are still trying to determine who abandoned the newborn boy whose remains were found earlier this month by a man walking his dog along Sunset Drive in Hempstead.
Preliminary tests were able to prove that the child was a boy, according to Det. Lt. Dennis Farrell, the Nassau homicide commander, though at the time the body was discovered it was so badly damaged that neither gender nor ethnicity were identifiable.
Police officials are "trying to obtain DNA from the people who are alleged to be the parents of the child," Farrell said. Police are following up on tips that have come in suggesting who the mother might be.
According to earlier reports by the Nassau County Police Department, it seemed that the child had only been left in the road for up to a day. "Now it appears to be extended, that the baby was probably dead three or more weeks," Farrell said. This estimate was determined by unfortunate conditions noted by the medical examiner. "I'm not going to get into the graphic detail," Farrell said.
The Hempstead High School, Hempstead Golf Club and Hempstead Lake State Park all surround Sunset Drive, where the baby was found. Police believe one of these three large wooded areas to be where the child was abandoned before being carried off by an animal into the Hempstead street where he was found.
"We feel very comfortable that the baby was not just left in the roadway and hit by a car," Farrell said.
Farrell said that while "you can never really get inside somebody else's mind," there are options for women who feel trapped into having unwanted children. Timothy Jaccard is the founder of Children of Hope, an organization founded years ago when the body of a newborn was found in the bathroom at 1st District Court, Hempstead. "[Jaccard's] initiative is to try and let people know that there are alternatives," Farrell explained.
Children of Hope takes in unwanted children, puts them up for adoption and finds them good homes.
"But, when that fails his organization steps in and they bury children like this," Farrell said.
"We haven't had an incident like this in a couple years now, and we were hoping that we were moving toward a time when people would be aware of Mr. Jaccard's services and know that there are alternatives," Farrell said.
He and other Nassau County detectives request that anyone with information about this incident contact the Nassau County Police Crime Stoppers at 1 (800) 244- TIPS. All callers will remain anonymous.
