Mother facing several charges after abandoning baby on front porch, police say

Credit: DaytonDailyNews

Police have identified and charged a woman accused of abandoning her newborn on the front porch of a northwest Atlanta home.

Investigators say Doretha Burkes, 22, reached out to them Tuesday afternoon to ask about the child's condition. She told them she was homeless and left the child on the doorstep because she could not care for her. She said she did not know that she was supposed to take the baby to a safe haven.

However, police say they later learned Burkes was not actually homeless and that she lived with her mother in southwest Atlanta. They say she had been afraid to tell anyone she was pregnant.

Burkes is being charged with reckless conduct, cruelty to children and providing false information to police.

Earlier Wednesday, WSB obtained the 911 call from a woman who found the newborn on her front porch around 1 a.m. Tuesday.

During the call, Freida Burston tells the dispatcher that she heard crying coming from the front porch or her northwest Atlanta home and when she opened the front door, there was a child wrapped in a blanket.

"The baby don't have no clothes. She just delivered the baby. Oh my God. I've never seen anything like this before in my life," Burston said.

Doctors believe the baby girl was only five hours old when she was found.

The baby, who hasn't been named, is still in the hospital an is in good condition.

About the Author