Newborn abandoned in Suisun City parking lot; 18-year-old dad arrested
SUISUN CITY, Calif. (KTVU and wires) - A two and a half week-old baby was reported in critical, but stable condition Tuesday morning, after Suisun City Police say the newborn was left in the parking lot of a strip mall by his 18-year-old father.
The incident began at about 3:15 p.m. Monday, when employees from a barber shop near the Sunset Shopping Center on Sunset Avenue, reported they found a baby in the parking lot.
The employees told officers that they first noticed a baby carrier, and after investigating further, realized a child was inside.
Surveillance video showed a man pulling into the parking lot, taking a baby carrier from the back seat, putting it on the ground, and then driving away.
The newborn was first taken to North Bay Medical Center in Fairfield for observation. But he was then airlifted to Children's Hospital in Oakland, after testing revealed an issue. Doctors have not announced the child's medical concern.
After speaking to witnesses and reviewing surveillance video from the area, officers identified the suspect as the boy's father, 18-year-old Fairfield resident Daniel Mitchell.
While officers were at the scene, they learned that Mitchell had been arrested by Fairfield police for an unrelated hit-and-run. Mitchell was also taken to the North Bay Medical Center, where he was treated for injuries he suffered in the crash.
Suisun City officers then spoke with Mitchell at the hospital and confirmed that he was the boy's father.
Investigators then arrested Mitchell on suspicion of child endangerment, child abandonment, committing a felony while on bail and misdemeanor possession of a substance believed to be cocaine.
He was arrested last month in connection to a burglary in Suisun City.
Police contacted the baby's mother, but she is not considered a suspect, said authorities.
Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Detective James Sousa at (707) 421-7361 or Solano County Crime Stoppers at (707) 644-7867.