Newborn girl safely surrendered in Racine fire station's Safe Haven Baby Box
RACINE, Wis. (CBS 58) -- Racine fire officials say a newborn girl was safely surrendered in their Safe Haven Baby Box Sunday, Sept. 27, marking the second surrender at the Station 4 location.
“Every time a fire chief calls me and lets me know that we got another baby in one of our boxes, you know, it’s exhilarating, it’s exciting, but also it’s heartbreaking, because you know that a mother is on the other side of that box with a broken heart,” said Monica Kelsey, the founder and CEO of Safe Haven Baby Boxes.
The fire department says on-duty firefighters immediately assessed the baby, who they say was found to be in good health.
She was taken to an area hospital for evaluation and is now in custody of Child Protective Services, where officials say the process of finding an adoptive home will begin.
In a press release Monday, the Racine Fire Department said in part:
"The priority of the Racine Fire Department is always the safety of our community, including its most vulnerable members. We are thankful that this parent chose a safe option and that this baby is now receiving the care and protection they deserve. Resources like the Safe Haven Baby Box exist to prevent tragedy."
The Racine Fire Station 4 baby box went into service on Dec. 10, 2024. The first safe surrender at the Racine fire station occurred in October of 2025.
"I did speak with the chief from Racine this past weekend and the one thing he said is, 'I've got to stop calling you like this,'" said Kelsey. "My response was, you call me as many times as you need to because this is good news if we don’t find a baby in a dumpster and we find a baby in your box."
Wisconsin's Safe Haven Law allows the legal and anonymous surrender of unharmed newborns up to 30 days old.
For more information on Wisconsin's Safe Haven Law or Safe Haven Baby Boxes, click here.
