A tragic note points to the agony of a mother who left her newborn outside a Baptist church in Cacém on Tuesday night.
The words explained how much she loved him but could not give him any quality of life. “We are having huge difficulties”, said the note.
The ‘healthy baby’ – left with a full bottle of milk, other items and dressed warmly – is now in care and likely to be put up for adoption.
His cries alerted people inside the Baptist centre around 10.30pm.
The Public Ministry is to decide now which authority should “investigate the incident”.
UPDATE FRIDAY September 18:
The baby’s mother voluntarily ‘handed herself in’ on Friday, in the company of a social worker, explaining that she deeply regrets abandoning her child and would like him back. The 25-year-old has described how she was evicted from the property she had been living in and did not know what to do. She has appeared before magistrates and been released on the lightest bail terms (involving reporting to police and staying within one’s area of residence). The baby meantime has been placed with a foster family.
