Fort Worth

Deceased newborn found on a West Fort Worth lawn, mother may be in need of medical care

Police are asking for help finding the baby's family, including the mother who may need medical care

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A deceased newborn was found on the front lawn of a Fort Worth home Tuesday morning.

Fort Worth Police said they were called to a home on the 5100 block of Birchman Avenue in Arlington Heights where someone walking by spotted the baby's body in a plastic bag near a flower bed and called the police.

Investigators said they believe the little girl was born only a few hours before she was left on the lawn sometime between 10 p.m. Monday and 6:40 a.m. Tuesday.

Madeline Romine lives down the street.

"I didn’t really even realize it was our neighborhood but still knowing that it was really close was really hard," Romine said. "I drove up and saw some of the news cameras and vans and stuff like that, that it just sat in my stomach. I thought, 'I just want to be sick.'"

Police did not reveal any information about what led to the newborn's death or if they believe the baby girl was deceased when she was left on the lawn. The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office will determine the infant's cause of death.

Fort Worth Police are asking that anyone who lives near the intersection of Camp Bowie Boulevard and Interstate 30 review their home video surveillance for anything that may be helpful in the investigation.

Police have not yet been able to identify the child and also want to be sure the mother does not need medical care.

"We want to make sure the mother is okay. We want to make sure the mother is not a victim herself," Officer Buddy Calzada said. "In this case, we’re asking for the public’s assistance. It really hits home. I’m a dad myself. It’s just hard."

Anyone with information that will help identify the child’s mother, family, or any other witnesses is asked to call the police at 682-382-1510 or 682-382-1524.

Investigators said they believe the little girl had been born only a few hours before she was left on the lawn sometime between 10 p.m. Monday and 6:40 a.m. Tuesday.

NBC 5's Maria Guerrero contributed to this report.

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