A homeless Hawaii woman gave birth on a sidewalk — then allegedly dragged her newborn daughter by the umbilical cord down the street.
Police and firefighters responded to reports that a woman had delivered a baby at Mamo and Keawe streets in downtown Hilo about 5:15 p.m. Tuesday, the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported.
Shocked witnesses said the woman, identified as 41-year-old Ashley Aileen Maile Lum, began dragging the infant by the umbilical cord before the tiny girl became detached from her mom and Lum fled.
First-responders found the baby still attached to the cord on the sidewalk, according to the outlet.
“It was right in front of Pineapples Restaurant, so there were a lot of people who were able to witness the behavior and everything that followed,” police Capt. Rio Amon-Wilkins told the Tribune-Herald.
Medical personnel cut the cord and provided assistance to the baby, who was breathing but not moving. She was rushed to Hilo Medical Center by ambulance.
“Thankfully, the baby’s life was spared. According to the pediatric doctor that night in the hospital, she was fine,” Amon-Wilkins told the paper.
He added that the doc estimated the length of Lum’s pregnancy “somewhere in the ballpark of 38 weeks, so [the baby] was definitely viable.”
Once Lum was separated from her child, she began to leave the scene, officials said.
She was later detained for suspicion of abandonment of a child but also was taken to the hospital for treatment and observation.
Lum was later released without being charged pending further investigation because she was admitted to the hospital, the Tribune-Herald reported.
The mom, who has has a minor criminal record and no prior felony convictions, has been living for years in the downtown area, where she has been seen shouting at passing cars and pedestrians, according to the outlet.
Amon-Wilkins said police will submit the results of its probe to the Office of the Prosecuting Attorney for possible criminal charges.
“In my almost 25 years, I’ve never seen a case like this,” he told the Tribune-Herald.
The baby has been determined to be in good condition and was “transferred to the custody of Child Welfare Services,” police said.
Witnesses to the incident are asked to call the police department’s non-emergency number at (808) 935-3311.