A newborn baby abandoned at a Federal Way church Sunday morning has been released from the hospital and placed in foster care, authorities said Wednesday.
The baby girl, nicknamed “Autumn Doe” by hospital workers, was released late Tuesday from St. Joseph Medical Center in Tacoma, said police spokeswoman Cathy Schrock.
The baby is in the custody of Department of Social and Health Services and in the care of a foster family, said DSHS spokesman Steve Williams. A hearing to determine a more permanent home for the baby has not been held yet. Family members will be considered first, then foster homes, Williams said.
A church member found the baby outside Steel Lake Presbyterian Church at 7:50 a.m. Sunday. The mother dropped off the baby at 2:15 that morning, according to church surveillance video.
The 22-year-old Federal Way mother turned herself in to police Monday and was released after being interviewed. Doctors said the baby was probably less than 12 hours old when paramedics brought her to the hospital.
Schrock said the baby is healthy and in good condition.
Federal Way police plan to forward their case today to the King County prosecutor’s office, recommending the mother be charged with second-degree child abandonment. That charge is a felony punishable by one to three months in jail.
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