A Texas couple sprang into action Saturday morning when they discovered an abandoned newborn, umbilical cord still attached, while walking along a trail. Daniela Fedele and her husband were strolling down Casa Martin Drive in Katy, Texas, with their three-year-old daughter and their dogs when they noticed a towel on the ground. Curiosity piqued, their daughter started to ride her bike toward it. That’s when Fedele realized something was moving underneath the towel.
“I noticed two little feet moving,” Fedele recounted to KHOU. “My husband was right behind me with the dogs, and I yelled, ‘Oh my God, a baby, a baby.'” Her husband immediately urged her to call 911, which she did without hesitation.
Surveillance footage captured the harrowing moment the newborn was abandoned. A man can be seen scanning his surroundings before placing the infant on the ground and sprinting away. The police have since launched an investigation to locate him.
The exact duration the baby was left on the street remains unclear. Harris County Sheriff’s deputies received the call around 9 a.m. and quickly rushed to the scene. In the meantime, Fedele and her husband did everything they could to protect the infant. Their quick thinking and swift actions were lauded by local authorities for potentially saving the baby’s life.
Footage showed the couple running towards the baby with their dogs. Fedele’s husband picked up the infant and found a nearby tree to provide some shade. “Once my husband went ahead and picked up the baby, he found the nearest tree, right there at the house down the street. He found a little shade,” Fedele said.
They waited until deputies from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office arrived. The couple handed the baby over, informing officials about the man they saw fleeing the scene. The newborn girl was transported to a local hospital, where she was listed in good condition.
Authorities praised Fedele and her husband, describing them as a “blessing” for rescuing the infant. “The two witnesses that were thankfully walking on the trail with their daughter and their dogs were a blessing,” said Sgt. Juan Garcia of the Child Abuse Unit. He noted the baby was a newborn, still with a fresh placenta, indicating she had been born that morning.
Fedele expressed her disbelief and anger over the situation, struggling to understand how anyone could abandon their baby. “I was shocked, I was mad, I was upset,” she said. She emphasized that there are safer options for new parents who cannot care for a baby. “You can drop it off at a fire station, a police station, a hospital. But don’t leave the baby.”
The police, noting the rarity of such cases, are now searching for the man they believe abandoned the baby. He is described as a young Hispanic or white male, with a slim build and a fair complexion, wearing a black shirt and possibly gray pants at the time.
