A woman is in custody after police say she left her baby girl alone in the cold.
On Sunday, around 7:30 a.m., police say Theresa Walker and her fiance David Fox heard the sound of a baby crying while inside their apartment at the Bucks Meadows Apartment complex in Bensalem.
"I asked my fiance to check," said Walker. "He looked out the window and he said 'there's a baby outside by herself.'"
Walker quickly ran outside to care for the child while Fox searched the area to find the baby's parents.
"She was so cold," said Walker. "Her diaper was soaked. It went right through her pajamas."
After five to ten minutes, police say Fox found the girl's mother, 30-year-old Loretta Hall of Middletown.
"She showed no emotion for her child," said Fox.
Police say the baby was “very cold to the touch” and not dressed appropriately for the 35-degree weather. They believe she was left alone in the shopping cart for at least 20 minutes. The baby was treated at St. Mary Medical Center. She is now in custody at the Bucks County Children and Youth Social Services Agency.
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"I have yet to understand how a parent can jeopardize the safety of their child because of their failure to use common sense," said Bensalem Police Sergeant Andrew Aninsman.
Police arrested Hall who they say appeared to be visibly intoxicated and admitted to drinking and playing beer pong that night with her fiance and another man. Police also say she admitted to taking Klonopin pills before her and her fiance left to go home. Investigators believe she and her child wandered outside for several hours before the child was left outside. Police say Hall told them she was looking for a blanket for the child when she left her.
"Children are not luggage," said Sergeant Aninsman. "They're human beings who need the care of their parents. In this situation the mother did not care for the child like she should have."
Hall is charged with endangering the welfare of a child and recklessly endangering another person. She was arraigned and sent to Bucks County prison in lieu of $50,000.
"It's a shame," said Fox. "Being a father you can't imagine leaving a kid alone for one minute. Out in the cold for a half hour? Some people don't deserve to be parents."
