Two infant twins, who were recently born, were discovered within a black garbage bag concealed inside a cabinet situated in a restroom at a daycare facility located in Chicago, IL. A cleaning crew came across the baby girls after following a trail of blood that led them to the bathroom of the Bernice Lavin Early Childhood Education Center on Thursday, July 6, 2023. The infants were found unconscious and unresponsive. Upon the arrival of emergency personnel, it was determined that the newborns were not breathing. Sadly, despite being taken to Laurie Children’s Hospital, both babies were pronounced deceased.
According to reports, the woman suspected to be the mother of the twin babies is a 29-year-old staff member at the daycare center. Her colleagues noticed her covered in blood, prompting them to call 911. She was then taken to Northwestern Memorial Hospital due to a “medical emergency.” The childcare facility issued a statement explaining that the employee experienced an unforeseen childbirth event as the cause of the situation.
The Bernice Lavin Early Childhood Education Center is a daycare center designated exclusively for Northwest Medicine employees. It has been clarified that the 29-year-old mother involved in the incident is a staff member of the daycare center and not of Northwest Medicine. The facility issued a statement emphasizing that this event did not affect the children or families enrolled in the daycare, assuring everyone’s safety.
Sara Feigenholtz, a state senator for Illinois, said she was deeply saddened by the tragedy and questioned whether the state had failed the mother in some way. The Safe Haven law in Illinois permits the safe surrender of children less than one month old in a number of sites.
It’s probable that when the mother gave birth to the twin girls on the bathroom floor, she was not informed of her alternatives. No charges had been brought against the mother as of Friday afternoon, July 7, 2023, and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s office was still working out a cause of the twins’ passing.