A newborn baby has been rescued after a good Samaritan found them still attached to their unconscious mom by the umbilical cord.
As reported by PEOPLE, a woman and her infant baby were found lying outside a hotel in Westlake, Ohio, on Tuesday (July 4).
The city’s police department said that they were informed by an onlooker who had been out walking her dogs.
She reported to the officers that "the baby's face was down in the grass and its butt was up like this and the baby was crying," and added that the mom, identified as Chanel Mueller, was "out like a light," per the Mirror.
According to the publication, the 42-year-old mom gave birth to her baby in a motel room.
A man named John Bratsch, 35 - who police say identified himself as the baby’s father - allegedly told them that he was cleaning the room when the mom walked out with the baby still connected via the umbilical cord and then fainted.
The dog walker recalled to authorities that she "screamed" at Mueller but the mom "did not budge," so she tried to help the newborn by cutting the umbilical cord with scissors in her handbag.
She then made sure that the baby was breathing correctly and wrapped him in towels while waiting for assistance to arrive.
"Someone unconscious on the ground is concerning to anybody," Westlake Police Department Captain Jerry Vogel said, per the Mirror. "When they're still connected to a baby via an umbilical cord, it adds that much more alarm to it, so she did the right thing. She made sure the baby was okay."
Mueller and Bratsch were rushed to St. John Westshore Medical Center by emergency services. In the meantime, officials contacted Cuyahoga County Family and Children's Services investigators.
"They [parents] do admit to being drug users, dependent drug users, so I don't know what they were thinking, not seeking medical help," Vogel said. "They claim the baby came really quick, maybe that happened, I don't know, but once you have the first inkling that the baby is coming, dial 911, get help there."
The parents are now facing serious legal consequences, including child endangerment, and a misdemeanor. Bratsch was also found to have a warrant out for an alleged felony parole violation as well as warrants for drug possession and traffic charges.
Law enforcement is hoping to place the infant will be placed in a better environment following the harrowing ordeal.
They want Bratsch and Mueller to understand the severity of the situation so that they can get help for their alleged drug addiction.
"They put the child in a life-or-death situation by not trying to seek medical attention," Captain Vogel said. "Obviously, they weren't in any kind of state to take care of this baby at that point because neither one of them did."
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