CONCORD, N.H. / Updated 3 p.m. -- The 15-year-old Rhode Island girl
whose newborn daughter was found in a backyard at Hampton Beach was
released from the hospital today after being charged with endangering
the child. The infant was reported in fair condition at
Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center.
Police officers escorted the mother out of Exeter Hospital on today,
said hospital spokesman Ron Goodspeed. She was served juvenile papers at
her bedside last night, charging her with first-degree assault and
endangering the welfare of a child.
Authorities had said the assault charge was filed because the infant
suffered from hypothermia after being left outside for at least three
hours after her birth Wednesday night.
Meanwhile, the doctor who first examined the newborn in Exeter said it
showed signs of injuries that apparently occurred after its birth.
"She had bruises, scratches, abrasions. It was hard to assess where they
came from, but they definitely didn't appear to be related to her
birth," pediatrician Denise O'Grady said.
The infant was doing well Friday at Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Neo-natal
Intensive Care Unit, after being flown there from Exeter for specialized
treatment. She awaits surgery to correct a deformation of her esophagus.
It may come next week.
Medical Center spokeswoman Deborah Kimbell said the baby's doctor there
characterized the physical injuries as "very minor bruises and
scratches."
"She said it's not clear whether they were result of the birth," Kimbell
said. "There was no trauma."
Also, she said while the baby is listed in fair condition, "she's not
out of the woods."
"She was outside for some time and so we're watching her pretty
closely," Kimbell said.
The infant's temperature had fallen to 90 degrees when she arrived at
Exeter Hospital early Thursday morning.
Officers went to a cottage around 12:30 a.m. Thursday after getting a
call from Exeter Hospital that a teen being treated there may have given
birth at the cottage Wednesday evening.
Officers heard a whimper outside as they searched the cottage and found
the baby, Lt. Bill Lally said. Officer William Cronin cleared the
child's airway and Officer Scott Bates used his bootlace to tie off the
umbilical cord.
Lally said the teen was on vacation. He said early indications were that
no one knew she was pregnant.
