PORTLAND, Ore. — Police are investigating after a newborn baby was found dead in North Portland's Kenton neighborhood on Friday morning.
The Portland Police Bureau said that officers responded around 11 a.m. after receiving reports of a dead infant near North Fenwick Avenue and North Argyle Street, an area tucked between Interstate 5, North Interstate Avenue and North Columbia Boulevard.
According to PPB, the baby was dead when officers arrived. The agency's Child Abuse Team responded to process the scene.
A witness told KGW that the police investigation centered on a homeless camp on the north side of Argyle Street.
The county medical examiner's office will perform an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of the infant's death, PPB said. The agency did not immediately release any other information about the circumstances of the infant's discovery or the location where it was found.
Oregon has a Safe Haven Law, which states, "A parent may leave an infant aged 60 days or less with an agent, employee, physician, or other medical professional working at an authorized facility," such as a "hospital, doctor's office, birthing clinic, police station, sheriff's office or fire station."
"The parent is not required to provide any identifying information about themselves or the infant," according to the state's website. "As long as the infant is aged 60 days or less, shows no signs of abuse or neglect, and is handed to someone working at an authorized facility, criminal liability may be avoided."
This is a developing story and may be updated with more details as they emerge.
