Newborn baby found abandoned in near freezing temperatures with umbilical cord still attached

A woman in a white SUV reportedly approached a man on a walk and asked him to take her baby, but he refused

(Madera County Sheriff)

Police are searching for the mother of a newborn child who was found covered with just a blanket in near-freezing temperatures in the middle of a California road.

Authorities say the baby was found on a rural Central California road on Monday morning by a newspaper carrier on his route. The baby girl was taken to a nearby hospital and is said to be in good condition.

The child, according to local reports, was likely just hours old and still had her umbilical cord attached.

The sheriff’s department for Madera County told local media that, while they have yet to find the mother, they have some clues as to how they might find her.

Before the baby was found, for instance, they say a woman driving a white SUV approached a man at around 4.30am and asked him to take her baby.

The man refused to take the baby, and told her that she should take the child to the hospital.

“He was approached by a female driving a white, smaller SUV. This female got out of her car, asked the man if he could help her and asked him to take her child,” Madera County Undersheriff Tyson Pogue said during a press conference on Monday.

He continued: ”The man directed her to the fire station and the Valley Children's Hospital down the street and suggested she take the baby there.“

The newspaper carrier found the child soon after that, and brought the baby girl into their car to keep the child warm.

“It's very fortunate that the child was discovered by the newspaper delivery person before she was seriously injured or even possibly killed,” Mr Pogue said.