The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services is asking for help finding the family of a child left in a hospital emergency room.
The DFPS said the child was dropped off at the emergency room at Baylor Medical Center Dallas on Monday, possibly by her mother.
The child is believed to be 6 years old and named Alejandra. Still, no other information has been provided and officials said the girl couldn't give any other identifying information.
"As a parent myself, it’s hard to contemplate somebody doing something like this to their child, especially leaving them in such an unsafe situation," said Kate Mataya, a partner at McClure Law Group in Dallas.
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As officials continued their search for the girl’s parent or guardian, NBC 5 asked experts what consequences that person could face.
"The consequences for leaving a 6-year-old child at a hospital are very serious," Mataya said.
A family law attorney told NBC 5 that this kind of abandonment could be grounds to take away custody of the child.
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"No reasonable adult would think that leaving a child who’s 6 years old at a hospital would be a safe situation for them," Mataya said.
Experts also said that if identified, the person responsible could potentially face jail time. "It is my understanding that this is criminal conduct under the Texas Penal Code, to abandon a child, especially in a situation where you’re exposing the child to unreasonable risk of harm," Mataya told NBC 5.
According to the Texas DFPS, the state's Baby Moses law "gives parents who are unable to care for their child a safe and legal choice to leave their infant with an employee at a designated safe place." The Baby Moses law, though, applies to babies 60 days old or younger who are unharmed and safe.
NBC 5 asked what the next steps would be – if Alejandra’s family couldn’t be found.
"My understanding is that she’ll need to be placed in care, an immediate placement, and then look to find either a family placement possibly if one can be identified," Mataya said. "And then if not, looking at placing her in foster care longer-term."
Anyone with information about the girl's identity or her family is asked to contact Maria Villegas with the Texas DFPS at 214-901-4649.
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