Yonkers resident Jaqueline Marleni Perez was arrested after allegedly leaving her newborn girl in the hallway of an apartment building at 32 Chestnut St. in Yonkers, the city’s police department announced on Thursday, Feb. 8.
The baby was discovered on Tuesday, Feb. 6 around 8:30 p.m., when officers found the girl wrapped in a blanket in the first-floor hallway of the building near the entryway.
Police and first responders began assessing the newborn and found that her umbilical cord was still attached with a black string wrapped around it. She was immediately taken to an area hospital where she was evaluated and stabilized, police said.
Detectives soon began investigating the abandonment and spent hours reviewing surveillance footage and interviewing witnesses. Thanks to these efforts, investigators were able to identify Perez as the baby’s mother, find her, and confirm the circumstances leading up to the abandonment.
According to the department, Perez had given birth to the girl by herself around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. She then dressed the girl in a t-shirt, wrapped her in a blanket, and put her in the hallway at around 7:30 p.m.