Newborn surrendered to O’Fallon Baby Box
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – Earlier this month in September a baby was surrendered to the O’Fallon Fire Protection District using the Safe Haven Baby Box. This marks the third baby surrendered in Missouri this year.
Monica Kelsey is the CEO and founder of Safe Haven Baby Box.
“Right now, we’re finding about a baby every 3 to 4 days in dumpsters, trash cans, alongside highways. It’s just unacceptable in 2025 and so we’ve come up with a way of allowing these parents who, you know, want to utilize the safe haven law but want to do it anonymously. A way to do that” says Kelsey.
The state of Missouri has a safe place for newborns law that allows parents to permeably and anonymously relinquish an infant under 45 days old at a safe haven box, fire station or hospital without fear of criminal prosecution.
According to Kelsey there’s currently 379 safe haven baby boxes throughout the United States and at least 10 in Missouri.
The box is temperature controlled and alerts 911 as soon as the baby’s surrendered.
“When a parent walks up to one of the safe haven baby boxes, they just have to open the door, place their unharmed newborn inside. Shut the door and literally walk away. The box calls 911 on its own, and the baby is picked up on average, right about two minutes after the baby was placed inside the baby box” says Kelsey.
After a baby is surrendered it is checked out by medical professionals and then immediately handed over to child protective services. According to the O’Fallon Fire Protection District a baby was surrendered by its mother using the stations safe haven baby box on the morning of September 13, 2025. The station put in a baby box just two months ago.
“The baby was within the age of surrender for the state of Missouri, and the baby is healthy” says Kelsey.
Cape Counties Fruitland Fire Protection District will have a safe haven baby box, making it the first one in Cape County.
The box will be blessed and dedicated on October 7 at 3:00 pm.
Kelsey says that the safe haven box should be used as a very last resort, only to parents who feel they have no other options, but she also says there is no judgement around parents who make that hard life changing decision.
“You know, parents, sometimes they find themselves in a moment of crisis that you and I will never understand” says Kelsey. “So having a resource, every resource available to them, just gives them the opportunity to choose what’s best for them. You know, we’re not going to shame them. We’re not going to judge them for choosing this. It’s available for them for a reason. So were putting them in the driver’s seat or allowing them to make the best choice for them and their baby, whatever it is, as long as they keep their child safe, we’re going to walk alongside them as they do it.”
