A mother allegedly lied to police about the location of her baby boy after giving birth in freezing temperatures in the woods just outside of Manchester, New Hampshire.
Alexandra Eckersley, 26, is facing multiple charges after she misdirected first responders to where they could find the newborn child, the Manchester Police Department said in a statement posted to Facebook.
Officers responded to reports of a woman giving birth in woods in 19F (-7C) temperatures near the West Side Ice Arena at 12.40am on Boxing Day, police said.
“Personnel searched the area where the mother of the baby directed them, however they were unable to locate the child,” the Manchester police said.
“After nearly an hour, the mother revealed the true location of the baby and led officers to the area.”
The infant was found lying naked in a tent without so much as a blanket and struggling to breathe, the Manchester Fire Department said in a statement.
He was given CPR and rushed to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center where his condition is improving, according to police.
“Had we not collectively located that little boy when we did and rendered the first aid that was rendered, I’m quite confident the child probably would have died in that tent,” Manchester Police Chief Allen Aldenberg told CBS News.
Ms Eckersley pleaded not guilty to charges of falsifying physical evidence, second-degree assault, and felony reckless conduct during a court appearance on Tuesday, WMUR reported.
She also faces an unrelated charge of endangering the welfare of a child after being arrested in Concord in 2021 while allegedly high on methamphetamine with an infant in a car.
Ms Eckersly phoned in to court from a local hospital where she is being treated for unspecified injuries, WMUR reported.
Prosecutors called for her to be held in preventative detention, citing the earlier child endangerment charge which she failed to show up to court for.
Ms Eckersley’s attorney Jordan Strand told the court that she had called 911 to notify police of the birth, and should be released on bail, WMUR noted.
Her criminal record showed a lengthy history of methamphetamine abuse and homelessness, WMUR stated.
Ms Eckersley is the daughter of former MLB Hall of Fame pitcher, Red Sox and Chicago Cubs veteran and commentator Dennis Eckersley, according to multiple reports.
New Hampshire has safe haven laws that allows any parent to drop their newborn child at an occupied police or fire station, hospital or church.
