9-Month-Old Found in Middle of Busy Road, Parent's 'Explanation' Costs Her All 4 Children
File this one under “Stories you don’t expect to read.” It took place at around 10:30 at night on March 9.
Some observant drivers in upstate New York were probably just as surprised by what they found in the middle of the road.
Thank God they saw and were able to stop and help. There, all alone, in the middle of the road, was a 9-month-old baby.
The infant was crying and its bib was flipped backwards. The baby was on his stomach, right in the path of oncoming vehicles.
The first thought, after shock at seeing a baby out there in the first place, was probably “Where’s the mother?”
Good Samaritans who had paused for the little one began filming and posted their find to Facebook. The Utica Police Department was alerted, and they began an investigation.
In the meantime, 27-year-old Ledrika E. Ford had shown up and claimed her child from the civilians, so police had to search the nearby area until they were able to locate her.
After a few hours they found Ford and her baby, and began questioning her. She had some interesting answers.
The Utica Police Department shared the incident on their Facebook page, writing that “Ford stated that she and a relative were not sure how her 9 month old child ended up on the street.”
“She advised officers that the infant was secured in the rear of a vehicle that she was in when they left a location on Bleecker St.”
Despite her story that she had indeed put her child in the car, he certainly was not there. The post on the police department’s page continued, and the story only got more concerning.
“A short time later, she looked to the back seat and found that the child was not there. They immediately returned to the area of Pellettieri @ Bleecker St. where they located her child.”
Not only was Ford not sure how her baby ended up in the street, the other person she was with also claimed to not know what happened.
Not exactly satisfying answers, especially for a situation that could have quickly turned tragic. The 9-month-old was not her only child, either, which raised questions of how she was caring for them.
Ford was initially charged with Endangering the Welfare of a child. CPS was also notified, and ultimately all four of her children were removed from her care.
Thanks to the people who stopped to rescue the baby and post the video, police were able to handle this situation, and at least one life was saved.
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