The body of a baby born at 29 weeks gestation during Hurricane Irma was found days later in its mother's car, according to Florida Department of Children and Families records.
It’s unclear whether the infant was born alive, but DCF records indicate the infant died Sunday, Sept. 10, when Irma was felt most strongly in Palm Beach County.
At about 9 Thursday night — four days after the delivery — the mother went to St. Mary's Medical Center for treatment, according to the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office. It's unclear exactly why the woman went to St. Mary's. When hospital staff learned about the delivery, they contacted the sheriff's office's special victims units.
The county’s Medical Examiner’s Office took the body, which state records indicate was found in the mother’s car. It is unclear where the mother is from or where in the county the car was.
The sheriff’s office will determine whether anyone will face criminal charges in the case after the Medical Examiner’s Office determines the cause of death.
DCF did not return calls for comment about the case by Wednesday afternoon.
At 29 weeks gestation, a baby weighs about three pounds and is about 16 inches long. Babies born that early often need time in an intensive care unit before going home. A full-term pregnancy is 40 weeks.
That infant's death is the 13th child death this year in Palm Beach County that the state is investigating. An infant died last month less than a day after he went to a hospital with breathing problems and was released with only eye drops.
DCF looks into child deaths that are called into the Florida Abuse Hotline and suspected to be the result of caregiver abuse, neglect or abandonment.
The last reported case of a newborn death in Palm Beach County through the hotline was in October 2015. The baby, born to a 17-year-old mother who didn't know she was pregnant, was found unresponsive in a home after the mother was rushed to a hospital, state records indicate. The teen delivered the baby in a bathroom.
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