A newborn was surrendered to a Safe Haven Baby Box in Mississippi before the end of 2024, local news outlet WJTV reported. 

The surrender at the Covington County Hospital in December was the first in the state, and is one of 15 baby box surrenders across the United States in 2024, according to the report, WHLT reported. The Safe Haven Baby Box at Covington County Hospital was opened in May of 2024 and is the third baby box in the state. 

Founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes Monica Kelsey said the baby is safe and healthy and potential adoptive parents are being interviewed.

Baby boxes are temperature-controlled incubators often built into exterior walls of fire stations, police stations, and hospitals that can be accessed from inside. At-risk mothers can safely and legally place their newborns inside. Once the baby is inside the baby box the outside door locks and the mother has time to leave before an alarm goes off alerting first responders or hospital staff to the child’s presence.

The baby is then quickly removed and sent to a hospital for a wellness check. From there, the infant is usually placed into state custody and is often adopted quickly. There are over 300 baby box locations across the U.S. 

The organization also aids women in crisis with their National Hotline, 1-866-99BABY1. The 24-hour hotline provides free, confidential counseling with expertise in each state’s Safe Haven Law.

“Monica Kelsey started Safe Haven Baby Boxes Inc. after learning she was abandoned as an infant. Part of the logo is a footprint of the last infant who died from child abandonment in Indiana, where the company is based,” according to the report. “Baby boxes in the Magnolia State and across the country hope to reduce instances of infant abandonment. Last January, authorities found an infant behind a dumpster in North Mississippi.” 

Mississippi law allows the surrender of unharmed infants up to 45 days after birth to baby boxes, EMS providers, hospitals, fire stations, and licensed adoption agencies, according to the organization’s website. 

Katherine Hamilton is a political reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on X @thekat_hamilton.