Woman gives birth in woods but waits hour to lead police to infant, New Hampshire cops say

A woman was arrested after giving birth in the woods of New Hampshire, police said.

Shortly after midnight on Dec. 26, police received a report that a woman had delivered a baby in a wooded, riverside area in Manchester in below-freezing temperatures, police said in a press release.

Police, fire and American Medical Response personnel responded to the area, located near an ice rink, and made contact with the mother, police said.

They searched the woods for the infant, following directions from the mother, but were unable to find the child, police said.

After about one hour, “the mother revealed the true location of the baby and led officers to the area,” according to police.

Once the baby was found, it was attended to by medical personnel and brought to a nearby hospital for further treatment.

The mother, a 26-year-old, was arrested on a previously obtained warrant for endangering the welfare of a child, police said. She was also charged with reckless conduct, a felony.

She has been arrested multiple times before, according to Patch, including once in 2021 for failing to appear at her court hearing related to a drug charge.

When contacted by McClatchy News, a spokesperson for the Manchester Police Department declined to comment on the matter.

This story was originally published December 26, 2022 at 3:25 PM with the headline "Woman gives birth in woods but waits hour to lead police to infant, New Hampshire cops say."