Illinois’ Safe Haven laws have been in place for over 20 years, but advocates say some people still don’t know it exists which endangers the lives of abandoned infants.
Firefighters at the North Orleans Street firehouse in the North East Side went outside to shovel snow around 5am on January 15, and made the grim discovery.
Verna Tolentino, 40, was taken into custody Friday at the Glenview Police Station and charged with attempted first-degree murder and child abandonment, according to police.
The abandoned baby was discovered Jan. 11 in the 1500-block of Greenwood Road, according to a statement from the Glenview Police Department.
The police investigation revealed that Tolentino, who was an employee of Glenview Terrace Nursing Home, had been transported to Glenbrook Hospital by the local fire department around 12:30 p.m. that day after complaining of abdominal pain.
Witnesses said Tolentino locked herself in the bathroom at work before asking for an ambulance, according to police.
Hours later, police said cleaning staff found the baby boy inside a tied garbage bag inside a garbage can that was in the bathroom Tolentino had locked herself in.
Newborn baby abandoned at Glenview rehab center, police say
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GLENVIEW, Ill. (WLS) A newborn baby was found abandoned at a rehabilitation center in north suburban Glenview, police said.
The abandoned baby was discovered around 3 p.m. Tuesday in the 1500-block of Greenwood Road, according to a statement from the Glenview Police Department.
The baby was transported to Lutheran General Hospital in stable condition, police said.
Glenview police said the child s mother was located and is in stable condition at Evanston Hospital.
Illinois Safe Haven Law allows parents to leave their baby with workers at a hospital or fire station with no questions asked, as long as the baby has not been hurt and is less than 30 days old.