Newborn Baby Found Still Attached to Unconscious Mom on Grass Outside Hotel, Both Parents Charged

A newborn baby in Ohio was rescued after a Good Samaritan found the infant lying in the grass, still attached to its unconscious mother’s umbilical cord.

The baby’s parents have both been charged.

The baby was found lying face down in the grass, crying outside a hotel in Westlake, Ohio, the city’s police department says. The woman who found the mother and child cut the umbilical cord and attempted to care for the baby while waiting for paramedics, police say.

The mother, Chanel Mueller, 42, and baby were taken to the hospital. A man, John Bratsch, 35, who police say identified himself as the baby’s father, told them the baby was born suddenly in a motel room. The man allegedly told police he was cleaning the room and could not explain why the mother walked out of the room and onto the lawn.

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Both Mueller and Bratsch were charged with child endangering, a misdemeanor, police say. Bratsch was then found to have a warrant out for an alleged felony parole violation as well as warrants for drug possession and traffic charges, according to police.

It is not immediately clear if either suspect has entered a plea.