A homeless woman in New Hampshire was arrested Monday after leaving her newborn baby uncovered in a tent amid freezing temperatures, according to authorities.
Manchester police said Alexandra Eckersley, 26, was charged with felony reckless conduct for her role in this incident. There was already an unrelated arrest warrant out for Ms. Eckersley for endangering the welfare of a child.
Police said officers responded to a call from Ms. Eckersley in the predawn hours Monday morning about a baby she had given birth to in the woods near a baseball field by West Side Ice Arena in Manchester.
Police, fire and medical authorities searched the area for an hour at the mother’s behest, but Ms. Eckersley later revealed the true location of the baby — in a tent on the west side of a trestle near Electric Street.
Responders found the baby boy naked on the floor of the tent that had its heat source turned off, according to WMUR-TV in Manchester. The baby was brought inside the fire truck for warmth and breathing assistance before being taken to a nearby hospital.
Fire Chief Jon Starr told the New Hampshire Union Leader that the baby was alive when it arrived at the hospital. A Manchester police spokeswoman told the newspaper Monday night, “The baby is expected to survive.”
“There is no excuse for this,” Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg said, according to WMUR-TV. “If you choose to live in the woods and choose to live your life a particular way and you choose not to accept our outreach, fine. But you don’t get to do this, what we are alleging, to a child.”
Temperatures were as low as 18 degrees in Manchester at the time of the incident.
Ms. Eckersley is the daughter of National Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher and former Red Sox broadcaster Dennis Eckersley, according to WCVB-TV in Boston.
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