Montreal South Shore police say a 33-year-old woman has been released on several conditions in connection with the death of a newborn found alone at a bus stop Monday morning.
In a news release Tuesday, Longueuil police said the woman received physical and psychological support and remains in the care of appropriate resources.
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This comes after police found the baby at a bus stop on Chambly Road, near Briggs Street, early Monday morning.
The baby was found still attached to the placenta, naked and very cold, according to the Montérégie ambulance technicians cooperativethe paramedical service of the Montérégie region of Quebec.
The baby was unconscious when he was found, so resuscitation maneuvers were performed until the baby arrived at the hospital. The woman was arrested shortly after.
Police did not confirm whether the woman is the baby’s mother, but said officers could charge her with infanticide.
In Tuesday’s news release, police said the investigation continues to validate certain elements that will help determine applicable charges in the case.
Homeless shelter says woman used services that day
Police have not said the woman is homeless, but Pierre Rousseau, director of the local shelter, has. The coin stop — near where the baby was found — says the woman in question used their services early Monday morning.
“He got there during the night, around three in the morning,” he said. The baby was discovered around 6:30 am.
He says the woman came in to use the warming center, sat in a chair and fell asleep. Nothing seemed strange, she says, until she got out of her chair a few hours later. That’s when he says he saw something abnormal.
Rousseau would not share details of what she saw due to the ongoing investigation, but says the shelter shared information about the woman with police, who were already on the scene nearby.
Police, however, did not confirm whether it was the same woman.
This was not the first baby found in the city this month. Another newborn was found at the door of a house on Bourgeoys Street in Longueuil. The child was found wrapped in a blanket and with the umbilical cord still attached.
At Charles-Le Moyne Hospital, emergency physician Dr. Marc-Antoine Pigeon was part of the team of about 15 people who tried, in vain, to resuscitate the baby Monday morning.
In Europe, some US states, and some Canadian provinces, baby boxes or crates are available as safe places of last resort for people looking to abandon a child.
When asked if this could be implemented in Quebec, at the door of a hospital or a fire station, Pigeon said: “Ultimately, this option allows one thing: for this baby to receive attention and care quickly. That is what makes the difference in a context like this.”
Lionel Carmant, Quebec’s Minister of Social Services, was also asked Tuesday about the baby boxes. He said that services already exist for these situations.
“There are ways to ask for help,” he told reporters, citing various services such as local CLSCs or youth protection. “There are ways to help women who don’t feel capable or need help when they give birth.”
