CLEVELAND — She was found on July 19, 2021, laying on the bench at a RTA bus stop at East 105th and Superior, wrapped in a blanket. Witnesses saw her dropped off by an elderly man.
Today, that baby girl – who’s about 18 months old now - is in the care of relatives.
For legal reasons, Cuyahoga County can’t release any new pictures, her true name, or which side of the family she’s living with. County officials continue to refer to her as “Baby Doe” and add that it’s likely she will be adopted by that family member soon.
"Some of the best things for our children are to try to get them connected with family, so we were able to get that done," explains Bryan Stanton, foster and adoption supervisor for Cuyahoga County Children and Family Services. "The child is doing well with relatives. We’re supporting them. And we’re trying to work together to get this baby adopted."
County officials wouldn’t tell 3News whether the woman pictured below last year, pushing an empty stroller toward the bus stop just as police rolled up, claiming to be the mother of the child, is indeed the actual mother.
But the incident brings to mind the dire need for foster and adoptive families just in Cuyahoga County alone.
"We have a lot of children in our care that aren’t placed in our community because we just don’t have enough homes, so children may be placed like an hour, down in Columbus, outside of Cuyahoga County," Stanton adds.
Around 900 children are in permanent custody of Cuyahoga County right now. About 130 children are adopted each year.
"We’re always looking for an audience to share this message with. We’re always looking for families to reach out to us. All that support that they would have, we want to maintain," says Stanton.
If you are interested in adopting, call 216-881-5775 or click here.
Previous Reporting:
- Pretrial hearing for custody order in case of RTA 'Baby Doe' set for Tuesday
- Cuyahoga County tests DNA of 'Baby Doe' found at RTA bus stop
- Aurora police identify alleged mother of 'Baby Doe'
- Woman stopped by Solon police in connection to 'Baby Doe' found at a Northeast Ohio bus stop
- RTA officers provide details surrounding discovery of 'Baby Doe'; police searching for person of interest