In a heartbreaking and ultimately hopeful story out of Phoenix, police say a baby was found alive after surviving several days alone inside an apartment, following the unexpected death of their mother.
The discovery happened around 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, May 14, when someone in the Central Avenue and Illini Street area called the Phoenix Police Department with a gut feeling that something wasn’t right. The neighbor told authorities they hadn’t heard from a woman in their apartment complex who had recently given birth — and that it had been days.
Officers quickly responded to the welfare check. When they got to the apartment, they noticed an unlocked window. Looking through it, they saw the woman — unresponsive — lying on the floor. That’s when they also spotted something else: a baby nearby, barely moving, alone on a bed.
“The baby’s here, dude. And the baby’s still alive,” one officer can be heard saying in bodycam footage released later by police.
Without hesitation, the officers rushed to the front door and forced it open.
Inside, they found the infant “visibly emaciated” but still breathing, wrapped in a blanket in the center of the bed. One officer carefully picked up the baby and carried them out of the apartment, where emergency responders were already waiting. The child was then taken to a nearby hospital in serious condition.
Phoenix Fire personnel and hospital staff provided what police described as “lifesaving care,” and miraculously, the baby is now expected to make a full recovery.
“It’s because of the smart, immediate actions of the officers as well as the neighbors seeing something unusual and calling in for help,” said Sergeant Brian Bower in a statement shared by police on Friday, June 27.
He emphasized how close the situation came to turning tragic. “It wasn’t learned until well after the fact from doctors and staff at the hospital that if the police officers didn’t immediately provide aid and didn’t immediately go into the apartment, the child may not have survived much longer.”
Bodycam footage posted on Facebook by the department shows the emotional moment officers first spotted the baby through the window, then worked together to get inside and get the child to safety.
Police have not released the identity of the mother, and her cause of death is still under investigation. The medical examiner is now involved to determine how and why she passed away.
In the meantime, detectives with the Phoenix Police Department are continuing their investigation, with help from the Department of Child Safety. Family members are also working with authorities to care for the baby moving forward.
For now, those involved are holding onto the hope that something good came from the quick action and care of strangers — and one observant neighbor who spoke up when it mattered most.
