UPDATE: Newborn found in bushes in North Myrtle Beach. The mother has been arrested.
Police are crediting a North Myrtle Beach woman for saving the life of a baby girl, who was found in bushes Sunday evening.
The infant, who is alive, is believed to have been born within the last day, according to Officer Patrick Wilkinson Monday. The infant’s mother, Britney Wheatle, 21, has been arrested and charged with unlawful conduct toward a child.
Police say Robyn Cain found the newborn during her evening walk about 6:18 p.m. at 117 Live Oak Court, police say.
Cain told officers she heard a noise and thought it was an animal, such as a kitten. However, when she looked in the bushes, she saw that it was a baby. She scooped it up and called 911, Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson said the homeowners at that residence were out of town and had nothing to do with the infant.
North Myrtle Beach Police and Fire departments, as well as EMS, responded to the scene. The baby was transported to the hospital where she is in stable condition, Wilkinson said.
Cain told detectives that she had seen a young woman earlier in the day walking in the neighborhood, Wilkinson said. The woman seemed confused and lost, Cain told police. She asked the woman if she was lost and she said she was trying to get to her job at Walmart.
Cain gave the woman a ride to work and then went back home to begin her walk. A short time later she found the child.
The newborn, which was premature, had no clothes, no blanket and was lying in the dirt, Wilkinson said. It appears the baby girl had been there for about an hour. There were no signs of abuse on the baby. However, the heat on Sunday was in the 90s.
Officers went to Walmart where they found the mother and she confessed that she had abandoned the child. Wheatle is from Jamaica and is in the U.S. on a J1 visa, he said. It appears she gave birth at her apartment on Second Avenue.
The mother also was transported to the hospital for treatment and then arrested, Wilkinson said.
Wilkinson wanted to remind people about Daniel’s Law, which allows parents to relinquish their unharmed child up to 60 days old to a safe haven location, which includes hospitals, law enforcement, fire departments, house of worship during staffed hours or EMS, without prosecution.
“Under a bush is not a safe haven in the South Carolina heat,” Wilkinson added.
Wheatle was given a $10,000 bond and is still in the J. Reuben Long Detention Center. She could face up to 10 years in prison for the felony charge.
Wilkinson said he wanted to give a special thanks to Cain and the rescuers.
“Thank God we got that baby and got her to the hospital,” Wilkinson said. “God was on her side that day. The real hero that day was Ms. Cain.”
This story was originally published August 7, 2023 at 12:31 PM.
