An 18-year-old woman from Idaho was recently taken into custody following an incident where she allegedly left a deceased newborn in a Safe Haven Baby Box at a local hospital. The woman, known as Angela N. Newberry, faces charges of felony failure to report a death to law enforcement, as disclosed by the authorities.
The incident took place on October 13, 2024, at the Grove Creek Medical Center in Blackfoot, Idaho, roughly 250 miles east of Boise. The medical center is equipped with a baby box that triggers an alarm when a child is placed inside.
On the day of the incident, the medical center staff responded swiftly to the alarm. However, they were met with a tragic sight. The infant was taken out of the bassinet within a minute, but it was immediately clear that the child had passed away before being placed in the baby box.
The Safe Haven Law in Idaho allows for the surrender of an infant who is unharmed and healthy. Therefore, this incident did not qualify as a legal surrender under state law, as it did not meet the criteria for Safe Haven surrender. The law permits custodial parents to surrender a newborn at one of the boxes within 30 days of the child’s birth without facing legal repercussions.
The Blackfoot Police Department was the first to respond to the incident and initiated a death investigation. The case was later handed over to the Twin Falls Police Department. After an extensive investigation lasting over a month, authorities identified Newberry as the person who left the deceased baby.
Newberry was apprehended in Twin Falls on a felony Bingham County arrest warrant for neglecting to report a death to law enforcement officials and the coroner. She has since been transported and booked into the Bingham County Jail.
Authorities have emphasized that due to the sensitive nature of the ongoing investigation and the potential for additional criminal charges against Newberry, only limited information will be released to the public. The Safe Haven Baby Box at Grove Creek was installed in July and was the first of its kind in the state, allowing newborns to be left safely and anonymously.