Baby found in cardboard box with note on frigid Alaskan street corner

A newborn baby was reported in stable and healthy condition Monday after being found days earlier abandoned in a cardboard box in frigid temperatures near a rural intersection around Fairbanks, according to authorities in Alaska. Anchorage station KTUU-TV reported it was approximately 1 degree when the child was located and the wind chill factor in the area at that time was reported around 12 below zero.

Alaska State Troopers said in a statement that they were notified around 2 p.m. Friday that a baby had been found abandoned. The baby appeared to have been left at the location recently, troopers said.

Kelly Atlee, a spokesperson with Foundation Health Partners in Fairbanks, said by email Monday that the baby is “stable and healthy.” Atlee said she could not provide additional information. The Fairbanks Memorial Hospital is among the facilities that are part of the health organization.

A map of the intersection where the baby was found, identified by troopers as Dolphin Way and Chena Point Avenue, appears to be a fairly rural setting.

Tim DeSpain, a spokesperson for the state troopers, said Monday, “We are continuing to seek assistance from media and the public to determine the circumstances of the child.”

The troopers said they are asking anyone who might have information about the child to contact them.

A woman in Fairbanks posted on social media that she found the baby near a row of mailboxes.

The post, dated Friday, included a video of a letter that started with the words “please help me!!!” and said the child’s parents and grandparents “don’t have food or money to raise me.”

“Please take me and find me a LOVING FAMILY. My parents are begging whoever finds me,” the letter shown in the video states.

The post was later taken down but was screen-grabbed by some outlets, including The New York Post.

Baby found abandoned in Alaska with heartbreaking note from mother https://t.co/yPpWQEejfx pic.twitter.com/x7djmsX9Sb

— New York Post (@nypost) January 3, 2022

The person who posted it did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press. Troopers confirmed a note was left with the child “indicating the parent could not take care” of them but provided no other details.

DeSpain did not respond to numerous questions, including if he could confirm the authenticity of the letter posted online.

Alaska has a so-called safe haven law that allows parents to legally surrender an infant under certain conditions, such as leaving the baby in the physical custody of someone such as a peace officer, doctor, hospital employee or firefighter or with someone they believe would provide appropriate care. The law applies to babies younger than 21 days old.