A newborn baby was surrendered to a Safe Haven Baby Box at a fire station in Bowling Green, marking the first time an infant was left at an anonymous adoption box in the state. Photo courtesy of Safe Haven Baby Boxes/Facebook

“We do not know who came here to surrender this child. That is the beauty of the baby box,” Kelsey, using the press conference to speak to the anonymous mother, said.

“The box allows 100% anonymity and that’s exactly what that parent received here.”

Kelsey thanked the anonymous parent “for keeping their child safe” and bringing them to a location “where they knew this child was going to be taken care of.”

Firefighters were able to tend to the newborn in less than 90 seconds after the infant was placed inside the climate-controlled safe box, Kelsey said, adding that the baby box had been installed and active for less than 60 days.

The baby was then taken to a nearby medical facility to be evaluated by a physician, who determined that the newborn was healthy.”This baby is healthy. This baby is beautiful. This baby is perfect,” Kelsey said, adding that the infant is in the custody of officials who will match them with their adoptive family.

Kelsey added that there are resources available, including counseling or medical care, for the birth parents at no cost.

“One of the things that I also want people to understand is that these women, it’s not that they don’t love their child/ They absolutely love their child. They’re just in a crisis that you and I may never understand,” Kelsey said.

The newborn surrendered in Bowling Green is the first in the state and the 24th in the country to be surrendered at one of more than 130 such baby boxes installed by the organization.

In 2021, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear signed a law that allowed for such baby boxes to be used for infants under 30 days old. There are currently 16 such boxes in Kentucky.