GREENVILLE, S.C. — The woman believed to have given birth to a baby she abandoned in a toilet at the BI-LO Center in Greenville has been arrested, and two of her family members ended up handcuffed Tuesday after their angry confrontation with a WYFF 4 news crew.
Tuesday afternoon, Greenville police arrested 24-year-old Jessica Blackham. She is charged with felony child abuse and unlawful neglect. Police said that there is not enough evidence to call for an attempted murder charge at this point in the investigation.
The condition of the newborn baby boy, who was suffering from hypothermia when a cleaning crew found him Friday night after a circus performance at the venue, is improving, according to South Carolina Department of Social Services officials.
Greenville police Sgt. Jason Rampey said the infant weighs about 6 pounds. The newborn is in critical condition at Greenville Memorial Hospital, but DSS officials said he is now considered stable.
When a WYFF 4 photojournalist tried to record video of the newborn’s mother, sister and father arriving at the Law Enforcement Center, the sister and father became aggressive. The relatives were taken into the LEC, but the News 4 photojournalist decided not to press charges. Watch the raw video of the confrontation above on this page.
Worker Finds Newborn, Calls 911
A 911 call made by a man working with the cleaning crew that found the newborn baby details the care he gave to the infant with the instruction of a Greenville dispatcher.
- Dispatcher: EMS fire, what’s the address of the emergency?
Caller: We found a newborn baby in a toilet. Can you please send an ambulance or something?
Dispatcher: Is the baby breathing?
Caller: It’s breathing. It’s newborn. My supervisor take it off from the toilet already. We tried to clean the nose, but not much, we don’t anything about it. You know?
Dispatcher: Do you have a blanket or anything like that on the baby?
Caller: We put a blanket already on the top
Dispatcher: OK. Make sure you keep the baby warm.
Dispatcher: Just make sure that they can gently wipe off the baby’s mouth and nose. Dry the baby off with a clean towel, OK, or a cloth. Just keep the baby wrapped in a clean, dry cloth or towel.
Caller: OK. We’re doing that right now.
Dispatcher: Make sure that you cover the baby’s head, but not its face, OK.
The cleaning crew found the infant at about 11:30 Friday night, according to police.
The dispatcher instructed the man to tie a string around the newborn’s umbilical cord.
- Dispatcher: Now how’s the baby doing?
Caller: He’s doing better.
Police said they found evidence that indicated the child was born in the bathroom Friday between 9:30 and 10:30 p.m.
