Baby found dead in North Portland; police team investigates child abuse

PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) — According to the Portland Police Bureau, a possible newborn baby was found dead Friday morning near North Fenwick Avenue and Argyle Street in the Kenton neighborhood.

At around 11 a.m. the police were called to investigate.

Neighbors told a KATU News reporter that they noticed heavy police activity behind a bush.

A man from a nearby camp said he found the baby, a girl who was obviously not breathing, lying in the dirt behind bushes. He was deeply saddened and put a blanket over her to give her some dignity.

“I already knew she was dead,” said the man, who asked to remain anonymous. “I could tell just by the look of her remains and the fact that she wasn’t moving. She wasn’t breathing. She wasn’t making any noise.”

He said a man was walking up and down the street, chattering away and saying some things that prompted him to go and see the spot where he found the baby.

“Oh, I am 100% convinced there is wrongdoing here. I don’t know the circumstances behind the wrongdoing,” the man said.

He said he didn’t know exactly how old the baby was, but it appeared to be only a few hours old.

“We want to call her Princess of Argyle, but we said, you know, we just hope that there could be some closure for her, even if she couldn’t achieve anything in her life… nonetheless, it’s still a life,” the man said.

The police department’s child abuse team is investigating the baby’s death.

Police said the cause of death will now be determined by the coroner.

Although police said Friday that they did not know the circumstances of the baby’s death, they wanted to remind people that when you have a newborn that you cannot care for, Oregon’s Safe Haven Lawyou can hand them in at a police or fire station.