Teen arrested after medical staff make horrifying discovery in safe haven box

An Idaho teenager has been arrested for allegedly leaving a dead baby in a Safe Haven Baby Box over a month ago.  

Angel N. Newberry, 18, of Twin Falls was taken into custody by the Blackfoot Police Department on November 21 for reportedly leaving a newborn girl in the box at the Grove Creek Medical Center in Blackfoot. 

While the baby girl was removed from the box 'within a minute' of the clinic receiving the alarm on October 13, staffers soon realized that the newborn had been dead long before being left. 

'The medical team removed the infant from the bassinet within a minute. Upon removal, they quickly realized that the infant had passed away long 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 was not a legal surrender under state law as it does not meet the criteria for Safe Haven surrender,' a Safe Haven news release reads. 

Monica Kelsey, the founder of Safe Haven Baby Boxes, said in a social media post at the time: 'We are heartbroken. Anonymity is only allowed when an infant is safely surrendered completely unharmed.'

Since being launched in 2016, Safe Haven Baby Boxes have provided parents a discreet and secure option to surrender their newborns. 

The non profit's policy states that any parent can leave a baby under 30 days old without legal consequences. 

However it is imperative that the infant is not harmed or deceased under both company policy and Idaho law. 

The medical-grade boxes are installed in the exterior wall of the building. An exterior door automatically locks when a newborn is placed inside, and a medical staff member opens an interior door to secure the baby.

Boxes are available in more than a dozen states. Since 2017, 52 infants have been surrendered at the organization's baby box locations, Kelsey said.

In an new Facebook post, Deputies with the Blackfoot Police Department said: 'The Safe Haven Baby Box is intended to safely and anonymously allow custodial parents to surrender a newborn under 30 days old without legal repercussions, provided the child is unharmed. 

'Unfortunately, the placement of a harmed or deceased infant is not protected under this system or Idaho law.

'After diligent work by the Blackfoot - Bingham Joint Detective Division over the last two months, 18-year-old Angel N. Newberry of Twin Falls was arrested in Twin Falls on a felony Bingham County arrest warrant for failing to report a death to law enforcement officials and the coroner.

'Angel has been transported and booked into the Bingham County Jail on the above warrant. 

Newberry has been charged with one count of felony failure to report a death to law enforcement. A court date has not been set yet. 

Officials have not yet clarified who the father is and how old the infant was at the time of her death. 

Deputies have also said that 'due to the sensitive nature of the ongoing investigation and the potential for further criminal charges', more information about the case will not be made public for now.