MERRILLVILLE | Merrillville police said they have been inundated with phone calls from people eager to adopt a newborn baby girl found abandoned in the frigid cold Friday night.
Police have fielded between 40 and 50 calls since the news broke late Monday afternoon about the newborn, who was left on the porch of Merrillville Patrol Officer Gerald Croarkin, authorities said at a news conference Tuesday afternoon.
The newborn, whose condition continues to be evaluated at the Methodist Hospitals Southlake Campus in Merrillville, is under the care of the state's Child Protective Services.
Merrillville Police Chief of Detectives Jim Lilley said it was his understanding that the infant is doing well. She was full-term and likely born the day she was found.
"It's an active investigation. We're hoping someone will come forward," Lilley said.
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Lilley said there have been no leads in the case, but police are anxious for the parents to come forward -- especially the mother, so she might receive proper medical care.
"We're concerned for her health and are asking her to seek medical care," Lilley said.
Those seeking to adopt the baby can call the Child Protective Services office at (800) 800-5556 and be placed on a waiting list, Lilley said.
Additionally, those who want to send care packages for the baby can drop them off at the Child Protective Services office, 661 Broadway, Gary, Lilley said.
Croarkin and his wife, Angela, retold the story Tuesday of finding the baby, whom hospital nurses named Olivia, on their doorstep Friday night.
Angela Croarkin had stepped outside for a cigarette and found the baby in a cardboard box.
They brought the baby inside and immediately called for emergency services.
Angela Croarkin said she believes the person who left the baby did so knowing that her husband was a police officer and that they would know what to do.
"The way the baby was wrapped inside. It wasn't that she was just discarded. She was put there for us to find her. ... But they took a big risk. Had I not gone outside when I did, it might have been a different scenario," she said.
The baby girl is described as Caucasian, with dark hair and dark eyes; weighs 5 pounds, 15 ounces; and is 18 inches in length.
Anyone with information about the baby is asked to call Detective George Fields at (219) 769-3722, ext. 349.
