Maryland’s Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has confirmed two fetuses found on a Maryland Transit Administration bus on Saturday were stillborn.
Baltimore Police initially said a driver discovered a fetus on the seat of the bus around 12:39 p.m. in the 2500 block of Kirk Avenue. They later confirmed on Monday that a second fetus was found afterward.
Officials within the medical examiner’s office wouldn’t say how they determined the fetuses were stillborn. The office’s investigation into a gestational estimate is ongoing, said spokesperson Stephanie Moore in an email.
Maryland Transit Administration and Baltimore Police responded to the scene Saturday. Homicide detectives are still investigating how the fetuses came to be found on a public bus.
Baltimore Police declined to share their report on the incident, citing their investigation as active and ongoing.
Circumstances of the finding in Baltimore are unclear, but some states, including Maryland, have passed safe haven laws meant to prevent abandonment following a live birth. Distressed parents who are unwilling or unable to care for their infant may give up custody at hospitals or law enforcement stations.
Maryland law states a parent or another adult, with the mother’s approval, has up to 10 days from the birth to invoke Safe Haven anonymously and safely leave a baby with a responsible adult at a designated location. A person who invokes Safe Haven is immune from civil liability or criminal prosecution provided the child is unharmed, according to the Maryland Department of Human Services website. The department maintains a list of designated safe havens in each jurisdiction.
Anyone with questions about Maryland’s Safe Haven laws can call 800-332-6347 or contact a local department of social services.
This story may be updated.
