ORLANDO, Fla. — Three infants who were abandoned at an Orlando apartment complex from 2016 to 2019 are related, according to DNA testing requested by the Orlando Police Department.
Detectives said they are now attempting to identify the parents of the children through genealogy.
According to police, one of the infants was abandoned in July 2019 at the Willow Key Apartments on Arnold Palmer Drive.
Read: 2nd newborn in 2 years abandoned at Orlando apartment complex
The 1-day-old baby boy was found wrapped in a T-shirt on a doorstep with a note that said the mother left him because she feared his father, officers said.
The baby was taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and was in good condition, according to police.
In October 2017, a baby girl was abandoned at the same apartment complex, police said.
The baby girl was found on a stairwell with a note that included a plea that the child be brought to a fire station for safe haven, officers said.
Orlando police did not provide information on the third baby, who was abandoned at the apartment complex in 2016.
According to a letter from a detective to Orlando Police Chief Orlando Rolon, after the third baby was found in July the detective submitted DNA from the children and learned they share the same mother and father.
The letter also requested funds for a genealogy analysis to identify the parents of the children.
In the letter, the detective wrote that “several additional familial matches were also discovered through the DNA testing.”
“Based on the egregious and neglectful behavior of the parent(s), and the bizarre facts of this case, unlike any other documented case, it is imperative to conduct a well-being check of all involved parties,” the detective wrote.
Read: Mother sought after abandoned newborn found at Orlando apartment complex
Rolon approved the detective’s request for $2,500 for the genealogy analysis from United Data Connect.
Rolon requested $5,000 on Monday from Orlando’s Law Enforcement Trust Fund because “there may be unanticipated expenses that arise later,” the request said.
In Florida, safe haven laws allow parents to leave their unharmed newborns not more than a week old at a safe haven facility recognized by the state without fear of prosecution.
Click here for more information on abandoned and surrendered babies.
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