The body of a newborn baby was found in a “shelter” box at an Idaho hospital, prompting an investigation.

Officers went to Grove Creek Medical Center in Blackfoot, eastern Idaho, where a dead newborn was found in a state “shelter” box on Oct. 13, according to a local station. KTVB7 reported. Shelter boxes allow parents or guardians to safely entrust a baby and remain anonymous, but only when the baby is unharmed.

The baby was removed from the crib by Grove Creek medical staff very shortly after being placed there, but they quickly realized the baby had “died well before being placed in the baby box,” according to a press release published Wednesday. post on social networks.

“We are extremely grateful to our dedicated team, who responded within moments to the Safe Haven Baby Box alarm and gave their all in a heartbreaking situation,” Grove Creek wrote in the post. “Although this baby was already deceased when he was abandoned, our staff demonstrated deep compassion and commitment to care. Their actions mean everything to us, and we are very proud of the way with which they honor every life they touch.”

USA TODAY reached out to Twin Falls and Blackfoot police for additional comment but did not immediately get a response Wednesday.

The founder of the “refuge” boxes has a “stomach ache”

Monica Kelsey, who founded Safe Haven Baby Boxes and was herself abandoned as a baby in 1973, said her organization is cooperating fully with the investigation as authorities probe the baby’s death.

“We are heartbroken,” Kelsey said in a Facebook post, adding that the baby may have been dead for several days. “I just have a stomach ache… This baby was in that box for literally a minute.”

She added that “it has been devastating everywhere.”

In her statement, she stressed that it was an “illegal and deadly abandonment” as the infant was placed in the box while wrapped in a blanket with the placenta still attached.

The organization said it aims to end infant abandonment and protect women in crisis through shelter boxes. According to the group, at least 52 infants have been “lovingly abandoned” in baby boxes since 2017. However, the organization promises to work with law enforcement to seek justice for shelter law violations and any illegal abandonment.

“As the only organization offering an anonymous surrender option, we are on the front lines of educating the public about how this program works,” Kelsey said in a statement. “We will continue to educate citizens about the stark differences between illegal abandonment and the legal and safe surrender of an unharmed newborn.”

This article was originally published on USA TODAY: ‘Devastating’: Baby Found Dead in Safe Haven Box at Idaho Hospital